Galactorrhea may be a symptom of a condition that needs further medical treatment, so it is important that you see your health care provider to determine the cause of this problem. 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. 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 is often a symptom of another condition. Any woman who has had a baby, whether or not she breast-fed her baby, may later have galactorrhea. In about half the cases, a cause cannot be found. Your health care provider examines your breasts and gets a sample of the discharge for lab tests.