irregular breast fluids at a young age

Is it normal for my girlfriend to release breast fluid similar  to breast milk at a young age when she is not even close to being pregnant,nor has she ever had a kid? is there any pre-caution I might take?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

Breast discharge can be normal. It is usually a response to estrogen and can occur at any age after or near puberty or if a woman is on the Pill or other estrogen containing medications. A breast discharge can be milky, clear or bloody.

Any breast discharge should be discussed with your doctor. It could be a sign of a problem. Usually the doctor will put some of the discharge on a slide and look at it under a microscope and send some to the pathology lab. They might also draw a blood test for prolactin, a hormone that can be elevated and cause milk to be discharged.

Machelle Seibel, MD