Avoid touching your nipples or breast. This may stop or decrease discharge from your nipples. Wear a tight fitting bra during exercise to decrease rubbing on your nipples.
Sometimes a woman's breasts make milk even though she is not pregnant or breastfeeding. This condition is called galactorrhea (say: guh-lack-tuh-ree-ah). The milk may come from one or both breasts. It may leak on its own or only when the breasts are touched.
Definition. Nipple discharge refers to any fluid that seeps out of the nipple of the breast. Nipple discharge during pregnancy and breast-feeding is normal. Nipple discharge happens less commonly in women who aren't pregnant or breast-feeding.
Both abnormal and normal nipple discharge can be clear, yellow, white, or green in color. Normal nipple discharge more commonly occurs in both nipples and is often released when the nipples are compressed or squeezed. Some women who are concerned about breast secretions may actually cause it to worsen.
Common causes of a nipple discharge
Usually, the cause is a benign disorder of the milk ducts, such as the following: A benign tumor in a milk duct (intraductal papilloma) Dilated milk ducts (mammary duct ectasia) Fibrocystic changes.
A blood test, to check the level of prolactin in your system. If your prolactin level is elevated, your doctor will most likely check your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, too. A pregnancy test, to exclude pregnancy as a possible cause of nipple discharge.
Idiopathic galactorrhea is a diagnosis of exclusion. Galactorrhea is considered idiopathic if no cause is found after a thorough history, physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. The patient's breast tissue may have increased sensitivity to normal circulating prolactin levels.
Leaking is normal and nothing to worry about. If it bothers you, you can try putting a tissue or an absorbent breast pad (sometimes called maternity breast pads, or nursing pads) in your bra to absorb the milk. Breast pads are available in some pharmacies and mother and baby shops.
Overview. Galactorrhea (guh-lack-toe-REE-uh) is a milky nipple discharge unrelated to the normal milk production of breast-feeding. Galactorrhea itself isn't a disease, but it could be a sign of an underlying problem. It usually occurs in women, even those who have never had children or after menopause.
The main symptom of galactorrhea is a milky white discharge from one or both nipples. Sometimes, the discharge is yellow or greenish in color.
See a GP if:
it happens regularly and is not just a one-off. it only comes from 1 breast. it's bloodstained or smelly. you're not breastfeeding and it leaks out without any pressure on your breast.
Galactorrhea is milky breast discharge that happens in women who aren't pregnant or breastfeeding. Galactorrhea is milky breast discharge that happens in women who aren't pregnant or breastfeeding. It affects as many as 1 out of every 4 or 5 women.
Galactorrhea is milk production from the breast unrelated to pregnancy or lactation. Milk production one year after cessation of breastfeeding is non-lactational and is considered galactorrhea. Various hormones including prolactin, estrogens, thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) can affect the production of milk.
While this condition may be relatively painless and often benign, there could be serious underlying causes. Galactorrhea happens when your hormones are out of balance and can indicate problems with your thyroid gland.
If your breasts become too full they may leak because leaking relieves pressure and can help prevent some of the common problems of breastfeeding, such as breast engorgement, plugged milk ducts, and mastitis. The breast not in use may leak while you breastfeed on the other breast.
A white spot on the nipple usually occurs in breastfeeding women, but can occur at other times. It is also referred to as a blocked nipple pore, a bleb or a milk blister. It is usually about the size of a pinhead or a little larger. The skin surrounding the white spot may be red and inflamed.
Serous—faintly yellow, thin discharge. Serosanguinous—thin, clear discharge with pink tint, RBCs observed under microscopy. Bloody.
Generally speaking, breastfeeding your husband or partner is OK. It's not perverted or wrong if you want the person you are intimate with to breastfeed, or if they ask to try breastfeeding or taste your breast milk.
It's possible to relactate if you haven't produced breast milk in weeks, months or even years. And while some may think relactation is a modern concept, the practice has been around for hundreds of years.
The color of your nipple discharge typically depends on the cause. For example, yellow discharge usually indicates an infection, while greenish brown or black may suggest mammary duct ectasia. Texture or consistency may also be a factor in finding a cause for nipple discharge.
Stress Impacts Your Let-Down
Oxytocin stimulates your milk ducts to widen and allow milk to flow from your breasts. If you feel stressed, your body will inhibit the release of oxytocin. As a result, milk will still flow to your milk ducts, but these ducts won't fully widen.
Often, milky discharge associated with idiopathic galactorrhea goes away on its own, particularly if you can avoid breast stimulation or medications that are known to cause nipple discharge.