Still Leaking Breastmilk from Right Breast & Did Not Breast feed..daughter Is 1.

K.,

have you tried expressing the milk?

And are you on birth control because, I always seem to be leaky on Birth control.

M

Hey K.!
My sister has been leaking from both breasts since she was 20 years old. She had never had a child. She went to a Dr. and they sent her to a specialist, who found out, with and MRI, that she had a small benign tumor on her pituitary gland. This was causing her prolactin levels to go up and causing her to produce milk. So she had to take a hormone to regulate it and therefore helping the milk to dry up. The medication is quit expensive and severe and didn't always make her milk dry up, it would come and go. It would make her lose her appitite and feel quite sick. I hope this isn't what is going on with you. I just wanted to share our families experience with you. Also, I don't know your reason for not breastfeeding your daughter, but you really should breast feed your next child if you have a history of breast cancer, because it can help prevent breast and other kinds of cancer, not to mention the benifits to your child. I hope this helps!

I breast fed my youngest almost 2 and half years. When weaning I took anti histamines for about 4 days and it seemed to do the trick

I'm no help with suggestions as I havevn't breastfed for almost five years ans still leak on one side. I've also had all of the testing and everything came back fine. ( my familyis also heavey in breast cancer). So I guess I wrote to say that your not alone in having the leaking breastmilk... notthat its any fun.

L.

Hi K.. With a persistent breast symptom and a family history of breast disease, you might consult with a breast surgeon. Spend some time asking around for a referral in your area and then make an appointment to see the best breast surgeon you can access. If this person is truly a breast specialist (not a general surgeon) they will likely have an in depth understanding of breast tissue, ducts, normal function and nipple discharge. Please don't feel that seeing a surgeon means that you will necessarily be advised to undergo some type of surgery. They may try to sample some of the discharge to learn more about it.

Also, have you consulted with anyone from La Leche? They may be able to tell you about other women's experiences and just generally help you learn more.

I hope this is helpful.

Best wishes,

K.,
I am in the same boat as you. I have three children, never breast fed and have been leaking since my oldest was born and he is not 7. I do not leak enough to have to worry about earing a breast pad, but is there. i went through testing and I gfound out that I have a small benign tumor on my pituitary gland. the doctors assured me that it is really nothing I have to worry about and I just have to have it checked every few years. the tumor causes a rise in my prolactin level which causes the milk glands to function. I would check with you doctor and see if her recommends a MRI and blood work to check your prolactin levels.

I have no idea how to go about getting your milk to dry (mine stopped w/in a couple months after weaning my children), but I do have another thought for you... :o) Since you've been producing milk for a year now with no signs of stopping, why not donate it instead of letting it go to waste? You could choose to donate directly to another mother who desperately wants to breastfeed her baby but can't, donate to a milk bank that specializes in providing milk for preemies, or even donate to cancer wards (patients undergoing chemo drink human milk to ease their intense nausea). You may also find that after donating for a while, you can taper off the amount donated until you've "weaned" your breast from producing and the milk production stops.

Like I said, just a thought! :o)

I did the opposite and took warm/hot showers which made my breasts leak. The milk would come out and after a while of doing this they eventually dried up. I did not breast feed either.
Good luck and don't worry.

the best way to stop breastmilk is to bind. take an ace bandage and wrap it tightly around your breasts and ware it for a while. you may have to keep doing this for many days, but it worked for me. also be careful in the shower, due to the fact that warm water can start milk flow.

Hi - my children are now 13 & 10 years old -- I breastfed both for 15 months and even today, I still have milk. I lost a pregancy last year at 4 months along and my milk came in after the miscarriage full force. Several years ago, I had tests done to check prolactin levels and all are fine (I also have an underactive thyroid & take synthroid). My mother said she had milk for many, many years after I was born -- I don't worry about it anymore. Mine don't leak, but I can express a little amount and sometimes they feel full and I wish I could nurse a baby just to relieve them a bit. I would have your doctor check your thyroid & prolactin levels, but if they are fine, hopefully they will go back to normal. It's only been a year since you had your child, so your hormone levels might still need to level off a bit too. It's just one of those things......

I think there may be a prescription that you can get to help dry you up. You should ask your OB/GYN.
GL!

I did the same---my daughter was born 2-9-06, and I leaked on and off for a bit. I did breastfeed, but for a short time. Thankfully it stopped about 6 months ago, but there are times that there are a few leaks. Others had mentioned expressing it for someone else to use, but in my case, there was only a small bit. More of a nuisance than anything. I also went through all the testing to make sure there was not a tumor or problems with my thyroid, and there wasn't.

Good luck to you and hopefully it will go away on it's own.

Have they checked your prolactin levels? Are you on any type of medication - possibly antidepressants or birth control pills? Have you tried calling La Leche and seeing if they might have a natural remedy - they know a lot about breastfeeding so they may know about stopping...I breastfed for nearly 3 years and did not have any leaking when I stopped. It is probably not a big deal or the doctors would have done further testing but if it is bothering you that much I would probably want a further answer also... Best of luck...and enjoy your daughter and don't worry too much about it...it will probably stop when you least expect it.

Try sage tea and eat sage in your food. Also birth controll can dry you up also Binding. There is a shot for that but most doctors will not give it, but if you try all the tricks in the trade they might.

Good luck

Hi K.,

Cabbage??

Okay, now this is kind of personal, and you don't have to answer me, but if you are using your breast milk at all.....during love-making, etc... you will continue to produce it. (This is perfectly normal and okay in my opinion if you are)

Good Luck,
D.