Q: Good
day Dr thanks for always attending to our questions. Please kindly attend to
mine. I discovered that my breasts are bringing out milk if I press them and
also feel a little pain. I am not a nursing mother, neither am I pregnant. In
fact I have implant family planning on me. Dr is there anything wrong? I need your
answer
A: Some women who
are not pregnant may have milky fluid come out of their breasts when they are
not breastfeeding or even in women who have never been pregnant. This is called
galactorrhea. This is not a disease on its own but a symptom of a problem. The
hormone, prolactin which is responsible for lactation in nursing mothers, is
usually produced in these cases.
This milky fluid can be expressed by pressing or it can
spontaneously come out on its own. It can affect one or both breasts and
usually there are no blood stains involved.
Sometimes, the cause of this discharge may not be known but some
causes could be some medications, some drugs like cocaine, spinal cord
injuries, some birth control pills, stress and even excessive stimulation
during sexual intercourse.
Galactorrhea can
also happen in men and new born babies! In new born babies this can happen if
the mother has a high level of estrogen which crosses over into the baby and
stimulates the formation of breast tissue and sometimes, some milky white
discharge. Please note: this is NOT witchcraft!
If you notice this, please visit your doctor who may try to
express this discharge to study. The discharge may also be clear (as in your
friend’s case), bloody or even tinged yellow. These need further evaluation and
the presence of lumps should also be checked for. The level of prolactin will
also be assessed. This may, however, be normal in people who are overly
sensitive to prolactin. In this class of people, prolactin level is normal but
there is still milky discharge from the nipples.
Treatment is focused on the underlying cause if one can be
found. If the problem is medication, please stop or switch to something else
under the supervision of your physician (doctor). If there is a tumour
producing prolactin, drugs can be taken to shrink it or surgery can be done. If
no cause is found, drugs that reduce prolactin level are prescribed. Remember,
that your friend could be pregnant and so a pregnancy test may not be out of
place.
In the meantime, breast pads can be worn to prevent the
embarrassing leaks from staining clothes, limit manipulation of breasts either
by self-breast examination or during sexual activity and try not to wear
clothes in which there would be friction between the nipples and the material.
All the best!
chatwithketch 