Breast Leaking

I had that happen to me between kids. The doctor actually looked it up and there WAS a name for it, but for the life of me I can't remember it... I want to say it had "colostrum" in the name, but this was like 15 years ago! Don't worry; as long as you have no pain or infection or heat coming from the breast, you're fine... you just produce more milk/colostrum than the normal person!

I am on board with the possibility of hormones causing this. i first suspect pregnancy. Some people in some case do experience a period for one or more months of pregnancy.

In anycase, I would call the dr.

You need to go to your doctor and make sure everything is okay. Don't wait until March.

I personally haven't had this happen, but my boyfriends sister in law did. She went to the doctor and she had increased prolactive levels which was causing her to lactate some. It sounds like you are leaking some colostrum. I'd speak to your OB about it at your follow up. They may run a blood test to check your horomonal imbalance and if your prolactin is too high they may put you on medication. I myself had high prolactin when trying to conceive a few years ago, and was put on medication, but my breasts never leaked.

You need to call your doctor and explain what you have issues with. Breast leakage can be a sign of something serious or something simple, better to be safe then sorry.

Searched "abnormal breast leakage" via Google - first result is as follows:

Normal vs. Abnormal
As a general rule of thumb, the only time when fluid should be leaking from a breast is during pregnancy and breast-feeding. When it happens any other time, it is best to get the breast or breasts examined by a physician just to be sure that there isn't some underlying health problem that needs to be addressed.

Leakage from Both Breasts
If fluid is leaking from both breasts, chances are good that a hidden condition is affecting the whole body in a systemic way. This may be an endocrine problem. Another possibility is that some sort of medication could be the culprit. Many different kinds of your garden-variety prescription drugs, including Prozac and birth control pills, are known to mess with the breasts. When both breasts leak, it might be a good idea to pay attention to any other symptoms that may seem unrelated, as they may all be caused by the same thing.

Leakage from One Breast
When the fluid comes from just one breast, it is much more likely that the cause is localized to just that breast. Discharge from the nipple may be a sign of any one of numerous problems ranging from breast trauma to cancer.

Get it checked out!
No matter what the case, it is very important to have these symptoms checked out by a doctor so that any potential illness or condition can be treated quickly and effectively. The doctor will ask questions about medications you are taking, other symptoms that go along with the various hormonal disruptions, and recent experiences. She will also examine both breasts and look at the color and consistency of the discharge. Tests will be ordered, if indicated by the in-office evaluation. These might include blood tests, lab tests of the discharge, or even a mammogram.

Hi, S.,

My son is 12 1/2 months & I still get some leakage sometimes. I nursed him for 3 months, but had to switch to formula for medical reasons for his health, so I have not nursed for close to 10 months. I will get bad cramps and tingling in my breasts every once in a while. I was told that it is just because your body changes so much after each pregnancy & that your body reacts differently to your menstral cycle. I know it seems weird that it would start up so long after delivery, but mine did.

If it is something that really concerns you, I would call my dr's office and ask to speak with a nurse. You very well may have to leave a message and wait for a call-back, but it may be worth it to see if they think this is anything to be concerned about. They may decide that it would be best to have you come in early for your annual exam just to be on the safe side. Insurance shold cover the exam being done early if the dr sees a good reason for moving it up.

I hope this helps!

Could you be pregnant?
If not, talk to your doctor ASAP. I've heard someone had those same symptoms and had a problem with their thyroid/pituitary gland.
Good luck!

Hi S.~
I am not sure about your cramping was it in your breast or pelvis? Weird question maybe, but since I have been pregnant I have weird sharp pains in my breasts.
Anyway~ before I was pregnant I used to have leakage similar to what you discribe from both nipples. Mainly when I did my breast exams & squeezed my nipples, but other times too. I would be able to squeeze out a yellowish liquid. When I spoke to my OBGYN about it they said not to worry some women just experience this & I was on the birth control pill, which they say makes your boby think it is pregnant in a way, so some women have different symptoms. Are you on the pill?
I ask cause about a month after I went off to try to conceive the leakage stopped. I would even try to make it happen to see if it was the pill & I couldn't.
I hope this helps a little. But if you are concerned call your OB or another women's clinic they are there to help.
Good luck!

I've never been pregnant nor had leakage. But every pamphlet I've read about doing self breast exams said to imediately report leakage to your doctor. I'd advise giving his office a call and ask their advice.

S.,

Girl -- get yourself in to see your Dr. now. Do not wait until March. I don't want to scare you, but it is not normal to have your breasts leak. It could be a sign of something serious. I'd call and tell them you MUST see him immediately. Best of luck to you darlin'

V.

Sounds like an infection. You should make an appt. to see your GYN or maybe even your regular family doctor. Take care!

Hi S.,
I have twin 4 1/2 year olds, and about 1yr ago I started having the same thing. I did not breast feed because it seemed a bit challenging to me and frustrating because my kids were so small and had week mouths for sucking.
I went to my Gynecologist to have it checked out and I went through 2 Mammograms. They can not figure out what it is, and it still happens.
My Gynecologist sayes I am just what they called in the olden days a wet mom, ( Women who could breast feed infants whose mothers could not).
You might still want your Gynecologist to check this out, beacause not every woman is the same, and the Breasts are a very sensitive part of the womans body.
Good luck.
M.

I definitely agree with hormones. I DID breastfeed, but I leaked like that up until a few weeks ago (and my son stopped nursing @ 11 1/2 months...he's 25 months old now).

That happened to me, and my doctore did a complete blood work-up. My prolactin levels were off the charts, and they contributed it to my Thyroid. He said that in his professional opinion, that ALL pregnant women should have their Thyroid checked. (Just like their blood sugar). Anyways, I researched it, and many women end up with a Thyroid problem after pregnancy. All of this happened when my daughter was 16 months old. Even though I did breast feed her, (I could've fed a small country), we stopped at 6 months and I never had any type of issue until she was 16 months old, and I started lactating. It's probably hormones.

I had clear sticky liquid leak out of one of my breasts when my first Daughter was about 18 months. I had breast fed her until she was six months. So since it had been a year I thought it was weird. I called my Dr's office and spoke with the nurse and she wasn't too worried about it. It only happened once so I didn't think anymore about it.

Since you didn't breast feed I think it would be worth a call to your Dr's office just for piece of mind. Best wishes.