Galactorrhea

[2asdmommy]

(may be TMI, some may have to cover their eyes!) - Does anyone else have Galactorrhea along with their hypo-ism? They are still doing various tests, but I've only found a few places that say these two can be related. (For those of you wondering, it's lactating without being pregnant.) My pituitary MRI was normal so now they are checking the thyroid which has a couple of nodules. If you have (or have had) this, do they medicate for hypo and then does that help the problem?  Or do they do something else?
Thanks,
Gina

[redhed87]

I had a dr. years ago think that I had that because I couldn't conceive a second child.  He only did one blood test and dismissed it and didn't do pituitary MRI or anything.  I have now since had a tt for thyroid cancer.  I am wondering if it was all related.  I didn't know anything back then-about 10 years ago.  I still have only one child.  Hmmmmm.  I hope you find out your answers.

[DLA]

Well, I have heard of this before, but the person affected by this was a man.  So....at least your the right sex for it. ;)  Can you imagine?  Poor man!

I went in and found this web site.  I figure you already found it, but thought maybe it would help.

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010501/1763.html

My aunt who is way past menopause just started bleeding again and found out it is from a combo of weight loss and diabetes.  Hormones are stored in fat and when women lose a lot of weight it releases the hormones back into the system, so the system reacts like it is made to.  Wondering if this could possibly have anything to do with it.  Just a thought, website doesn't list anything like that I found.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Dac

[EmpatheticJenny]

For what it's worth, I had four or five minor episodes of galactorrhea during the years leading up to menopause. Those also were years when I am certain--thinking in hindsight about my symptoms--that my hypothyroidism was beginning in sneaky ways to make its presence known. Each physician who heard one of my reports of galactorrhea simply made sure that I had had a recent mammogram and then attributed the galactorrhea to changing levels of hormones in a general sort of way. (One of them had my prolactin level checked, and it was well within the normal range.)

So the cause could have been my hypothyroidism. I am very interested to know that you have found a few information sources saying that there can be a link between the thyroid gland and galactorrhea. The list of possible symptoms of a thyroid problem is so long, it is mind-boggling. Until I was told that I had hypothyroidism and I began to read about it, I had had a long list of odd symptoms that at least one competent physician had assessed without being able to explain. The long list was all in the category of "it seems to be harmless, so don't worry about it," but the symptoms on the list never made sense...until my thyroid gland was brought into the picture. Now, every quirky and unexplained symptom I have had makes completely good sense including the episodes of galactorrhea. Those episodes are possibly the one symptom I had not revisited until reading your post. Thank you for resolving one last question for me!

[SuzieQTT]

this is such a relief...I didn't realize that this was even a remotely common symptom.  I spoke with my primary care provider and after my mammogram and a series of antibiotics because she thought it might be an infection...it was determined that it was because of my thyroid problems.  We are currently keeping an eye on it and at 5 weeks post op and it is getting better every day.

This place is great!!!
Suzie

[DLA]

On the websites that I went into reading about it stated that it is fairly common among women.  They figure just on reported cases that 20-25% of all women experience this at some point and time in there life.  Mostly the cause goes undiagnosed b/c they can't find one, so they chaulk it up to hormonal changes.

Found this all very interesting.  If you go to the one website I posted it had a lot of good info about it.
Never had this myself, but being from a family full of nurses a strong interest in medicine was passed on to me I think.  Like learning all things possible about health issues.

Dac