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Check your symptomsWhen you “leak” Breast Milk abnormally
October 29, 2019
Veronica noticed milk liquid leaking from her right breast some weeks ago. She panicked because she’d never been pregnant. There was no pain and her breasts looked the same as usual. She worried, but it didn’t happen often and she thought it would stop soon. But it happened again while she was at the market the other day – all of a sudden, her close-fitting blouse was soaked across the front. The lady putting her purchase together noticed and asked if she was breastfeeding. Vero blamed it on the heat, feeling very embarassed; and resolved to book an appointment with her GP that day.
The medical term for this problem is Galactorrhoea.
This is when you leak breast milk while you are not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Another word for producing milk from the breasts is lactation.
Any fluid or material coming from the breasts is known as abnormal nipple discharge.
The most common cause is a high hormone level – Prolactin.
Prolactin is a hormone produced in the brain that controls how milk is produced from the breasts.
Abnormal breast milk leaks can also happen in men and newborn babies.
High Prolactin has many causes such as :
Learn more about high Prolactin.
To understand how to completely cure the problem, we must know the cause.
For this to happen, Doctors will normally do the following:
1. Examine your breasts.
2. Arrange blood tests for hormone level as well as thyroid, kidney and liver problems.
3. Scans of the breast and the brain.
Bromocriptine is a drug that is used to reduce the high level of Prolactin.
It can help to treat the symptoms of abnormally produced breast milk but NOT the cause.
So depending on the test results, the doctor will tell you what can be done to treat the cause:
Please speak with your doctor about this further to address definite causes.
HEALTH WARNING!!
Breast or Nipple “leak” or Discharge may be a sign of Breast Cancer.
If the discharge from your nipples is not milky and looks clear, bloody, or yellow, you must see a doctor as soon as possible.
More Reading:
Editing by AskAwayHealth Team
Disclaimer
All AskAwayHealth articles are written by practising Medical Practitioners on a wide range of health care conditions to provide evidence-based guidance and to help promote quality health care. The advice in our material is not meant to replace the management of your specific condition by a qualified health care practitioner.
To discuss your condition, please contact a health practitioner or reach us directly through info@askawayhealth.org
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