Milky white discharge from the breast

The breasts are a feature of female beauty, but the mammary gland is also one of the parts of the female body that is more prone to disease. In life, many women will experience milky white secretions from their nipples when they are not breastfeeding. This always makes female friends particularly worried. They don’t know what causes it, or whether this situation is special to their body. So let’s take a look at what is going on with milky white secretions from the breasts!

1. What is the cause of milky white discharge from the nipple?

Breast secretions can be divided into three categories: milky, lotion-like, and bloody or serous. Milky discharge is the most common nipple discharge. It is a white or clear liquid and is mostly caused by physiological or drug-induced causes. Pathological milky discharge may indicate a pituitary tumor or prolactin-secreting lung cancer.

The term "milky" generally refers to a thicker, opaque liquid that is milky and can be white, yellow, brown, green or black in color. It is usually associated with milk duct ectasia. Regarding the question "Is it normal to have nipple discharge?", possible causes include pregnancy, duct ectasia, intraductal papilloma, and what we fear most - breast cancer. Usually benign breast discharge is bilateral and often secreted from multiple ducts, while malignant discharge is unilateral and often secreted from a single duct. Malignant breast tumors account for only 10% of the causes of nipple discharge.

2. Will there be any disease if there is white discharge from the nipple?

During pregnancy and child-rearing, it is normal for the breasts to secrete milk and have nipple discharge. If milk secretion continues after the child-rearing period, you must pay attention to whether there are other reasons, including taking medications, excessive breast compression and the above-mentioned breast diseases. You should seek medical attention immediately.

3. Causes of milk leakage

Because of excessive secretion of prolactin in the body, the causes of high prolactin are very complex, including physiological and pathological reasons. It can be systemic or local. First, multiple miscarriages after giving birth cause the prolactin level in the body to rise; due to poor sleep, long-term use of sedatives and hypnotics; long-term use of anti-tuberculosis drugs during treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis or intestinal tuberculosis; married women need long-term oral contraceptives due to discomfort with wearing an IUD; in addition, hyperpituitarism, pituitary microadenoma, hypothalamic disorders and taking antihypertensive drugs. Physiological reasons are mostly strong stimulation of sex, which causes a temporary increase in prolactin, which will soon return to normal.