Dr. Funk said today that if nipple discharge is clear then it’s something to worry about. I’ve had what I think is clear, spontaneous nipple discharge for probably 1-1/2 years. I never see it, but it stains my bras a grayish color where my nipples are in the bra. It’s a stain that doesn’t come out with regular washing. I had a mammogram and ultrasound in April 2008 and nothing was found. I told them about the clear discharge and they weren’t worried. What other steps should I take to make sure I don’t have something serious going on? Has anyone else experienced this?

Also, I have never breastfed and have two children. I’m 47. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

I have discharge also, that has been going on for the last 3 months that i have noticed, i thought i was pregnant, missed my period for two months, then found out i wasn’t. i do have two kids, my youngest is 16 months and was only breastfed for a month.  my left discharge is a milky yellow color, and the right is clear, should i be worried? could it just be because of my irregular period the last 3 months? or something different.  And what do i say to the doctor when i go?

I have the same issue,  I also stopped my cycle for a few months.  I told my doctor I was having the discharge and she sent me for an MRI.  Following the MRI I was sent to an endocrinologist.  It wasn’t really a problem until I stopped my cycle.

Response to clear nipple discharge: I was a bit anxious and worried
when Dr. Funk said she doesn’t like to see clear discharge coming out
of a woman’s nipple. At my annual exam this year, my doctor discovered
I had clear nipple discharge coming out of both breasts after he
performed a routine breast exam. I was concerned, obviously, and also
confused because I have never had a pregnancy. I am 30 years old and I
am not on any medications other than a multi vitamin. They did not do
an ultrasound to check my ducts, which I may still request just in
case. Instead, they did a blood test to see what my Prolactin level
was. Prolactin is a hormone made by the pituitary gland and is commonly
responsible for producing breast milk. My Prolactin level turned out to
be higher than normal (33). I am not pregnant, but the doctor assured
me this is a common problem. I also saw a fertility specialist and he
said the same thing, adding that he sees it all the time in women.
Bottom line, they put me on a drug called Bromocriptin to lower my
level. I have been retested and my Prolactin level is much lower (13),
back down to where it should be. My husband and I will be trying to
conceive soon and I was told this is important and the drug is safe for
women trying to become pregnant. My advise is to get a simple blood
test done to check for this hormone. Hope this info helps!

It’s interesting that a few of you talked about your cycles. I had a uterine ablation procedure with the Novasure method over two years ago, so I haven’t had a period since then (which is awesome!). I wonder now if this could possibly have changed something. But then the pituitary glad is responsible for prolactin level, right? I think I’ll request the prolactin level blood test next time I go for my mammogram on May 1. Hopefully, that will show something – one way or the other. I go to Windson Radiology in Buffalo, NY, and they’re supposed to be excellent at what they do, so we’ll see what they say.

It was sort of calming to think that I’m not completely different, because at Windsong the mammo technicians didn’t seem to know a lot about nipple discharge. I did have a sonogram last year right after my mammogram and it didn’t show anything. Maybe I’ll request an MRI just to be sure. Thanks so much for your comments.

I have had the blood test my levels of prolactin were 65.9 and I have never been pregnant.  The endocrinologist is having some other test run, a bone density test and he also wants to check on the secretions of some other hormones in my urine.  I have also taken Bromocriptine in the past, but once I stopped the problem returned three months later. So I will more than likely take the medication again.  The blood test is very useful and it is always important to rule out a tumor on the pitiutary gland.

I was reading online that different labs have different values for normal and that if you send a prolactin test to 10 labs it’s very possible to get 10 different results. That’s because our hormone levels aren’t static and even the “normal” the lab is comparing against may not be an exact normal. One article said the doctor doesn’t get worried until the level is 100+. I found that very interesting. My GP doesn’t believe in hormone testing at my age (47), because she feels it’s inaccurate but I will pursue this with her and again with my mammo doctor as well as my OB/GYN just to be safe.

I have had a whitish discharge from both nipples for about 4 months.  I’m 43 yrs old.  My last mamogram came back normal.  I take narcotics for pain and my pain specialist and pharmacist both said it was due to the medications I’m taking.  Has anyone heard of this before?

I was only 35 when i was diagnosed with a prolactinoma (pituitary tumor)My prolactin levels were very high once a tumor was determined (113)and that was only after My Dr. and Gynecologist had done enough tests to rule out other possibilities before thinking it could be a tumor so they also put me on bromocriptin once the blood work came in. When the prolactin levels were not coming down in what they thought should be sooner than they were, they sent me to an Neurosurgeon. He reviewed my file and after questioning me for other signs that my Dr. and Gynecologist had not asked me about, scheduled me for an MRI.
He asked me questions like if i had been suffering from headaches regularly, if i had noticed any eye sight problems, both of which i had been experiencing.
With my answers, the high prolactin levels of 113, The presense of a slightly yellowish milky like discharge from the nipples and the absence of my cycle (for going on close to a year at that point)and the fact that i had also just been diagnosed with a seriosly under active thyroid which during that year I gained a lot of weight, was very tired and had no energy, suffered from swelling from head to toe, resulted in the Neorosurgen referring me to an Endocrinologist. Once The MRI was back, The Endocrinologist, Neurosurgen, My Dr. and Gynecologist Worked together to get me on a proper medication regimen.
I am now 38 and still take the meds I was put on. I take 4 pills daily for the tumor, a pill for the thyroid and a pill for the water retention that I also began suffering from when all this started. I was told by the Neurosurgeon that I’m lucky my tumor is in the back of the pituitory gland as it is non cancerous, if it were at the front of the gland, the chances of it being cancerous are much more likely. He also said I’d likely have to take the tumor meds for life unless they didn’t work which is when they are more inclined to surgically remove it and even then, I’d have to be on another med for life because of the piece of gland being removed because of becoming tumor! after living with these medical problems for well over a year, being on meds and things not changing a whole lot, I had to do a lot of searching for info of my conditions on my own. I found out more from the internet then any of the physicians I was seeing would or had told me.

I guess why I have spilled all of this out there to all who read this is so you can make sure you pay close attention to any little thing that seems out of sorts with yourself.
I would like everyone who reads this, and that has Any of the symtoms I had, to make sure your Dr has them looked into Thoroughly!! and Get a Second opinion! Even a Third if your still not comfortable with the answers you get with The Dr you are seeing. My Neurosurgeon told me that Prolactinomas are much more common than people think and that many people go for years without being diagnosed properly for them. He also said that these tumors are not proven to be heireditary and even men can get them.
Please ladies, make sure to take care of your selves!I may have left things with my health go over looked for too long and may have caused my own medical situations to be what they are and if this is the case, it is ony because I let things go for too long and didn’t ask enough questions to make sure I was being as pro active as I could be about my own well being.
I hope my story might help anyone out there.

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