Galactorrhea
Galactorrhea Causes
There are several identified causes of Galactorrhea. It can be brought about by endocrine disorders, hormone imbalance, excessive stress, and even adverse effects of some known medicines. The local cause of Galactorrhea has been linked to excessive stimulation of the nipples. The drugs that have been identified as possibly eliciting an adverse effect such as Galactorrhea are antipsychotic drugs, methyldopa, birth control pills, H2 receptor anatagonist and opiates. Some foods have been identified to cause Galactorrhea as well like licorice. Endocrine disorders such as pituitary adenomas (more commonly as prolactinomas) which causes an overproduction of the hormone prolactin, responsible for milk formation, has also been known to cause Galactorrhea.
Galactorrhea Definition
Galactorrhea is otherwise known as the spontaneous discharge of milk unrelated to pregnancy or nursing. It is defined by Contemporary Maternal-Newborn Nursing Care as ?nipple discharge?.
Galactorrhea Diagnosis
Diagnosis can be made by evaluating prolactin levels and observing other subsequent effects due to high levels of the said hormone. Too much prolactin can cause a woman's menstrual periods to cease and can lead to infertility. These are considered to diagnostic clues for Galactorrhea.
Galactorrhea Symptoms and Signs
Symptoms include spontaneous discharge of milk from an individual who is not known to be pregnant neither nursing a child. Other symptoms to look out for include cessation of regular menstrual periods and infertility.
Galactorrhea Treatment
There is no treatment for Galactorrhea because the condition as well as the spontaneous milk discharge goes away over time. Symptomatic treatments would include avoiding overstimulation of the breasts and performance of breast exams more than one time per month.
Drugs used for treatment of Galactorrhea
Parlodel