Why do unmarried girls have breast discharge?

Experts say that young girls do not secrete milk during the process of breast development. The reason should start with the source of prolactin. Prolactin is produced by cells of an endocrine gland in the human brain called the pituitary gland, but it is also controlled by the prolactin inhibitory factor secreted by the hypothalamus, which limits the secretion of prolactin by the pituitary gland.

In the common impression, women's breasts will secrete milk only after giving birth. So, why do breasts of non-lactating women also have breast discharge? In fact, the secretion of female milk mainly depends on the level of prolactin in the body, and the production of prolactin is inhibited by the prolactin inhibitory factor secreted by the hypothalamus. Therefore, any factor that can inhibit the release of this inhibitory factor by the hypothalamus can cause the secretion of a large amount of prolactin, thereby leading to breast galactorrhea. Therefore, as long as a woman has normal breast development and is capable of lactating, she may experience breast discharge after being stimulated by certain factors that increase prolactin secretion.

The causes of discharge in non-lactating women are complex, but there are four main reasons:

(1) Local stimulation of the breast and systemic stress response, such as frequent playing with or sucking of the nipples, severe mental trauma, sudden changes in lifestyle habits, etc., can also promote the secretion of prolactin, leading to a transient increase in prolactin and causing breast discharge.

(2) Suffering from diencephalic diseases or pituitary lesions, such as diencephalic tumors and adjacent tissue tumors, prolactin adenoma, pineal tumor, hyperpituitarism, acromegaly, etc.;

(3) Suffering from endocrine system diseases, such as primary hypothyroidism, adrenal tumor, etc.;

(4) Suffering from chest diseases, such as chronic mastitis, chest herpes zoster, chest wall injury, etc.;