About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSigns and symptoms associated with galactorrhea include:
- Persistent or intermittent milky nipple discharge that has no trace of blood
- Spontaneously leaked or manually expressed nipple discharge
- One or both breasts affected
- Absent or irregular menstrual periods
- Headaches or vision problems
When to see a doctor
If you have a persistent milky nipple discharge from one or both of your breasts and you're not pregnant or breast-feeding, make an appointment to see your doctor.
If breast stimulation triggers nipple discharge from multiple ducts, there is little cause for worry. The discharge probably doesn't signal breast cancer, but you should still see a doctor for evaluation.
Nonmilky nipple discharge — particularly if the discharge is bloody, yellow or clear and is occurring from one duct — requires urgent medical evaluation, as it may be a sign of an underlying breast cancer.
- Lobo RA. Hyperprolactinemia, galactorrhea, and pituitary adenomas: Etiology,
- differential diagnosis, natural history, management. In: Katz VL, et al., eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/202383887-3/1002403495/1524/257.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-02951-3..50042-X_1261. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Ferri FF. Galactorrhea. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/202383887-3/1002403495/2088/252.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00016-2--sc0010_5179. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Snyder PJ. Causes of hyperprolactinemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Mancini T, et al. Hyperprolactinemia and Prolactinomas. Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics of North America. 2008;37:67.
- Snyder PJ. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of hyperprolactinemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Snyder PJ. Treatment of hyperprolactinemia due to lactotroph adenoma and other causes. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Iglehart JD. Diseases of the breast. In: Townsend CM, et al. Sabiston Textbook of Surgery. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/202388075-8/0/1565/325.html?tocnode=54737836&fromURL=325.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3675-3..X5001-1--section7_1642. Accessed May 24, 2010.
- Pruthi S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 3, 2010.
- Nippoldt TB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 8, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on