What is galactorrhea?
Galactorrhea is a benign type of nipple discharge; that is, it has no association with breast cancer. Galactorrhea is a whitish or greenish discharge from the breast nipples. Usually the discharge is from both breasts rather than just one. A discharge like this is called galactorrhea when women who are not pregnant or breast- feeding have it. Some less common types of nipple discharge are associated with a risk of malignancy. If there is a question whether the discharge is galactorrhea or not or if the woman has significant risk factors for breast cancer, a physician may refer her to a breast specialist for further evaluation. How does it occur? Galactorrhea occurs when your body produces too much prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. Normally, prolactin stimulates the production of milk when a woman has a baby. Galactorrhea may be a symptom of another condition. It may be caused by: • too much estrogen in your body from birth control pills • a
