Leaking Breasts...

Hi C.,
I would say it is a hormone imbalance. People don't realize the power of hormones. Unless a person is going through the change, hormones don't seem like anything to worry about. The truth is the progesterone goes down in level a lot. My 18 year old daughter is on progesterone and it is making a world of difference for her. I never really stopped leaking after the birth of my son until he was 5. He had been weined for 4 years. Come to find out, my progesterone was very low.

Definitely definitely definitely a second opinion!

I am not sure what type of insurance you have or what it covers, but you should be able to go to you OB/GYN or primary care provider (family practice/internist) and get a referral to an endocrinologist or even to an oncologist. INSIST on going to get checked again. Your primary care doc might tell you it's nothing / don't worry etc., but if you insist on a referral they should give it to you. Doesn't hurt them and if nothing is wrong, at least you will have some peace of mind.

Your gut is telling you something is off--do yourself a favor and get it checked out. Hopefully this is just something small like a hormone imbalance, but if it is a bigger issue, better to find out and deal with it early!

Absolutely get a second opinion. I had nipple issues after my son was born and kept asking, who is the boob doctor? The OBGYN took care of down below, and the Ped took care of the baby, but no one seemed to care about the boobs! I ended up switching OBGYNs until I got one that did care. It may be nothing, but always better to know for sure. An LC could also point you in the right direction too.

Hi C.

Before I got pregnant I had a lump in my breast that was removed by Dr. Johs at Boulder Community Hospital. He is a surgeon but is considered The Breast Man in Boulder and he did a phenomenol job. When the nurses saw my scar in Mom and Baby they said it must be Johs work because the scar was so tiny and hidden. However, I dont know if sees people without lumps. I do think your Dr is wrong though and that you should seek a second opinion from either an OB/GYN or an internist. I really love Hillary Wallace at Boulder COmmunity- an internist and I also like Boulder Women's Care as far as Ob/GYN's go. I know that any fluid outside of lactation or pregnancy is of concern because I'm supposed to call Johs if that happens. It is probably fine but you should ask for a second opinion and ultrasounds (mams arent that useful at our age because the breast tissue is so dense)

GOOD LUCK!!!!
D.

I have the same problem... my son is now 3 and 1/2 and has been weaned for 1.5yrs and I still have the oily stuff. I went to the doctor and he did an ultrasound of that breast because I had a felt a lump on my breast exam, they didn't see the lump it all just looked like breast tissue so that was good. When I went back to see him and told him I was still having the same problem he said that breast milk can take up to a year to dry up and in some people longer and then sometimes you can develop little pockets of milk that hang around in the ducts and leak out. Irritating diagnosis for me but at least I knew that I didn't have cancer and that I wasn't crazy. And like you said, I do have the softest skin, it is a great moisturizer, not that I'm rubbing it in, its just always there... Since my ultrasound 6 months ago, it has slowed down alot, and I would bet that it will be gone soon... hopefully... BTW...I am 30 and my doc didn't want to do a mamo because the breast tissue is too dense and hard to read at a young age, thats why the ultrasound and not a mamo. That is my experience, maybe not the same as yours but could be, have your blood drawn to rule out anything really serious and then I would probably conclude that its a slow-to-dry-up milk duct.

Below are some links to info on how to use sage tea and other herbs for naturally drying up breast milk; not sure if it will help your lingering leakage, but worth trying as there is no harm it can cause:

Sage herbal tea:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/sage-herbal-remedies.htm/...

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Breastfeeding-1764/Need-dry-mi...

Good luck!

I would get a second opinion. A friend of mine had some unusal symptons with her breasts that the dr didn't take seriously and in the end she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is not normal. Find a dr who will listen to you.

It sounds like time for a second opinion to me, if for nothing else, for peace of mind. GL! I hadn't thought of it, but an endocrinologist is a good idea.

I would call a lactation consultant.

They know how to help get feeding started and wean. They also know how to help increase and decrease supply, they may know what this stuff is too.

You can usually find one at most maternity wards of any hospital, or call a OBGYN.

S.
Mother to Kai
www.HomeWithKai.com

I may not be much help, but my only thought is that maybe these are signs that you are pregnant again. Not so much the oily secretions but your breasts hurting could be a sign of pregnancy.

Maybe is it a hormone imbalance? Are you having regular cycles? The pain is what makes me ask.