Galactorrhea is an abnormal discharge of colostrum, milk or fluid from the nipples of the mammary glands, which was not triggered by lactation, pregnancy. Pathology occurs in approximately 4% of women. It is worth noting that in about 75% of all cases, the disease occurs in nulliparous women. Men who are interested in the fact that this is galactorrhea should know that a similar problem occurs among men, but very rarely.
Signs of the disease
Pathology can be either unilateral or bilateral. The excreted liquid has a milky or light milky color. If we talk about quantity, then it can be very different, and discharge appears constantly or periodically. They can also be spontaneous or appear only after pressure on the nipples. In ICD-10, galactorrhea has the code O92.6.
The signs of pathology, which may be optional and variable, include the following:
- nipples increase in size, pain appears;
- nipples may begin to harden and swell;
- on palpation, discomfort and slight soreness are felt;
- traces of discharge remain on the linen;
- in the area of the nipples and areoles, redness is observed, maceration of the skin begins to appear;
- in men, gynecomastia is rarely observed.
It is worth noting that galactorrhea is, first of all, the presence of discharge from the nipples.
Degrees of disease
Depending on how much fluid is secreted from the nipples, experts claim that galactorrhea is a disease that has several degrees.
- 1 degree galactorrhea - the fluid is released exclusively during palpation. Milk or colostrum may leak out in small droplets.
- 2 degree galactorrhea - during palpation, the fluid is released in the form of a jet.
- Grade 3 galactorrhea - fluid is released continuously and at the same time spontaneously.
Causes of the disease
Most experts believe that galactorrhea is not an independent disease, but only a symptom of a different pathology of the mammary glands. Sometimes this can be a manifestation of the early stages of some diseases of the breasts themselves. For example, oncology or fibroadenomatosis begins to develop. In addition, such a condition may indicate the presence of problems with the hormonal background. In this case, we are talking about a high level of prolactin in women in the blood, which leads to the appearance of discharge from the nipples.
Prolactin Overview
If you are interested in what prolactin is in women, then you should know that the main factor that provokes the production of milk is an absolute or relative increase in the amount of a hormone of protein origin - prolactin. Its synthesis occurs with the help of special cells that are located in the anterior pituitary gland. Prolactin also affects the growth of the mammary glands, regulates the production of milk, takes part in the process of maturation of the follicles, stimulates ovulation, maintains a normal luteal body, takes part in the formation of new vessels.
Many people are interested in - what is prolactin in women? Prolactin is a unique hormone that is responsible for a huge number of processes in the human body and can be synthesized not only in the pituitary gland, but also in some other cells of tissues or the brain. A hormone is produced in the mammary glands, in the fetoplacental complex. When exposed to a wide variety of cells, this hormone does not have a final point of application. In this regard, the inverse hormonal relationship between the level of prolactin secretion and the pituitary is completely absent.
This hormone can completely independently regulate its secretion in human blood, because it has an effect on the hypothalamus, which inhibits the synthesis of prolactin. At the same time, the hypothalamus is directly associated with the pituitary gland and other glands of the neuroendocrine system. A variety of stressful situations, lactation, insulin, progesterone, hormones produced by the thyroid gland, estrogens can affect the synthesis of prolactin.
The strongest stimulant of physiological origin is considered to be a high concentration of steroids in the ovaries, mainly estrogen. At the same time, norepinephrine, opioids, serotonin, dopamine have an inhibitory effect on prolactin secretion.
In almost all cases, galactorrhea is caused by too much prolactin in the blood. In addition, pathology is considered a manifestation of hyperprolactinemia syndrome. This syndrome is present in approximately 80% of patients who have an excess of prolactin in the blood. In this case, there are failures in the menstrual cycle, asexual disorders, infertility or miscarriage.
It is worth noting that fluid is not always released from the nipples due to the high level of prolactin in the blood. For example, a fluid may be released even with a normal amount of this hormone or not released at its high level. The clinical picture can be very diverse, which is probably due to the specificity of the sensitivity of cellular receptors of tissues of the final organs that are affected by prolactin.
Because of this, the release of milk from the nipples should be evaluated simultaneously with other clinical manifestations. Moreover, this alone cannot be the reason to diagnose hyperprolactinemia. Therefore, it is important to contact the mammological center on time.
Causes of the disease in children
The main reason for the development of galactorrhea in adolescents is a sharp imbalance in the balance of hormones in the body. Also, this phenomenon can be observed in children a few weeks after birth due to an increase in the level of hormones that the pituitary gland produces. This phenomenon is called "witch's milk", and it gradually passes, because hormones begin to break down and be excreted from the body.
The second option for galactorrhea in children is the appearance of pathology during puberty. Most often occurs at the age of 12-16 years. Fluid is also released due to hormonal imbalance. At the same time, examination of mammary gland tissues does not show any deviations from the norm.
The causes of the development of galactorrhea in adolescence can be:
- the child is taking medications that can lead to an increase in the level of prolactin or its analogues;
- in the diet of a teenager there may be too many herbs, which are among the lactogonous;
- a tumor can form in the pituitary gland, which provokes an increased production of prolactin;
- a tumor may also form in the hypothalamus, in areas adjacent to it;
- thyroid function decreases;
- in the adrenal glands, a pathological process begins to develop, which leads to an increase in cortisol level;
- in girls, the functionality of the ovaries may be impaired;
- in the kidneys there is an inflammatory process that provokes the development of renal failure;
- liver pathologies accompanied by liver failure;
- injuries, burns, or surgery have occurred in the chest area.
There are cases that doctors can not determine the real reason for the development of galactorrhea in children.
Other causes of the development of pathology in men and women
There are many reasons that can cause galactorrhea. Specialists identify several main causes of galactorrhea in men and women. These include:
- Benign tumors that formed in the anterior pituitary gland. These can be adenomas, prolactinomas, metastatic tumors, sarcoidosis, histiocytosis. Of course, in men, galactorrhea is not associated with childbearing.
- Formations of a pathological nature that provoked a violation of blood circulation, the development of the inflammatory process. A mechanical displacement of structures as a result of a tumor in the hypothalamus region or in any other limbic formation of the brain could also occur.
- Galactorrhea can develop due to an inflammatory process in the spinal cord or brain.
- During surgery, stimulation of the pectoral nerve may have occurred for one reason or another.
- Oncology, mastitis, burns, herpes simplex virus can provoke the appearance of the disease.
- Reception of hormonal contraceptives for a long time or narcotic analgesics, antihypertensives, antianginal drugs, antidepressants, tranquilizers.
If we talk about the causes of the appearance of galactorrhea in men, then this can be an extremely unfavorable symptom. Most often it occurs due to the development of a tumor in the pituitary gland, in the presence of prolactinoma, tumors in the testicular region, or after radiation therapy. In addition, male galactorrhea can be accompanied by severe pain in the area of the mammary glands, gynecomastia, softening of the testicles. If you do not start to treat the problem, then galactorrhea leads to impaired erectile function, sexual desire is significantly reduced.
Galactorrhea does not pose any threat to a man only if he takes certain medications or is restored after too long a period of starvation.
Diagnosis of the disease
As diagnostic measures, all clinical and biochemical studies at the mammological center are used. A study of the hormonal background of the patient is also carried out, an x-ray, ultrasound examination with ductography of the mammary glands and internal organs is carried out. Magnetic resonance or computed tomography of the brain, spinal cord is done. Mandatory are consultations with a therapist, oncologist surgeon, endocrinologist, neurosurgeon, and other specialized specialists. They will check estrogen levels in galactorrhea, prolactin levels, etc.
Therapy
The treatment of this disease will completely depend on exactly what reason provoked its development. If there is a tumor, then you can not do without surgical intervention. In other situations, a conservative method of treating galactorrhea with medicines, which will be aimed at the full correction of the hormonal background, may be quite enough. If the development of galactorrhea provoked the use of medicines, it is necessary to stop taking them, if possible, or replace with other drugs that have the same mechanism of action, but at the same time so that they have a different chemical composition.
If the development of galactorrhea was caused by a mechanical factor, dermatological disease, infection, pathologies of the internal organs, then you must first eliminate them and then start directly treating the galactorrhea. If the patient suffers from the idiopathic form of galactorrhea, which provokes the production of a large amount of prolactin, then the specialist prescribes dopamine receptor agonists. Such medicines include Parlodel, Bromocriptine, Levodopa.
The non-hormonal agent Cyclodinone also has a dopaminergic effect, which can be obtained through the use of such a medicinal plant as Vitex Sacred or Thistle. The main feature of the plant is that it stimulates D2 - dopamine receptors of pituitary lactotrophic cells. Due to this, a natural decrease in the high level of prolactin in the blood occurs. Functional hyperprolactinemia is also eliminated.
It is worth noting that the medicine “Cyclodinone” normalizes the amount of sex hormones, which has a positive effect on the menstrual cycle, the manifestations of mastalgia, mastodynia decrease, and premenstrual syndrome becomes less pronounced.
Treatment of galactorrhea with folk remedies
Therapy of the disease with the help of folk remedies involves the use of special medicinal plants, which include phytohormones that can lower the level of prolactin in the blood. Such remedies include infusions for ingestion of sage and periwinkle herbs. An infusion of jasmine flowers is used for external use. The juice from the stems of Robert geraniums is used only externally as compresses. From its leaves an infusion or broth is made, which can be taken orally.
The “French tincture”, which is prepared from seeds or fresh leaves of nasturtium, with periwinkle and nettle, is considered the most effective remedy.
Folk remedies for men
Men who suffer from a disease such as galactorrhea can be taken for two months from the Adam root. He insists on vodka or alcohol diluted with water.
Helps to cope with the problem of drone milk. It is taken in its pure form three grams twice a day or as a tincture, which is considered not as effective as a natural product. Drone milk helps to increase the amount of the hormone testosterone in the body and at the same time reduce the production of prolactin.
Acceptance of funds that offers traditional medicine, you can start only after consulting with your doctor.
If you notice that fluid has begun to stand out from the nipples of the mammary glands, you should immediately consult a specialist and undergo a full examination. This will exclude the development of more serious pathologies than galactorrhea. Also, the doctor will be able to accurately determine the cause of this problem and choose the most effective treatment in your individual case. Traditional medicine can be an excellent adjuvant, which will allow you to quickly get rid of such an unpleasant problem that brings huge discomfort.