This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Nipple discharge

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Nippple discharge is a common presenting symptom in women of reproductive age

  • it is the third most common breast complaint after breast pain and breast mass
  • most often caused by a benign condition (around 97% of cases) (1,2)

Nipple discharge may be

  • physiological
    • usually bilateral and involves multiple ducts
    • associated with nipple stimulation or breast compression
    • milky nipple discharge can be due to
      • pregnancy - may persist for up to one year postpartum or after cessation of breastfeeding
      • galactorrhea – in non pregnant status, caused by an endocrinopathy
  • pathological
    • is usually spontaneous and unilateral
    • may be associated with a mass or new skin changes
    • appearance may be bloody, serous, green or black in colour
    • most common causes are
      • intraductal papilloma (48%)
      • ductal ectasia (15%–20%)
      • carcinoma (10%–15%) (1,2,3)

Reference:


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page