Letdown feeling

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Verdana
Verdana Member Posts: 26
edited June 2019 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

I've had some problems with my left breast for a couple of years now- pain, which has now resolved, and now a weird sporadic tingling feeling like water is leaking out of the nipple and down the left side of the left breast. There never is any leakage. Have had two normal ultrasounds (one a year ago, and one in March this year). Sporadically, like once every few months, I get the feeling like my breast is leaking, It's not leaking and both times it's happened recently I've been in the bath, but haven't been able to recreate it. I breastfed up until about 8 months ago but since stopping, I haven't leaked.

I saw that a lot of women had this feeling years before being diagnosed with cancer so I'm a bit worried.

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  • Sherri000
    Sherri000 Member Posts: 47
    edited June 2019

    I've had this feeling as well, in both breasts but mostly the one I am having issues with now. It feels wet, like leaking, but when I look and feel there is nothing there. I also keep reading women saying they had this feeling as well. It's so unusual and I never really thought much about it because I have so many medical issues but now I'm really wondering what it's about.

    Sorry you are having this same issue. Maybe someone can shed some light on it.

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  • Verdana
    Verdana Member Posts: 26
    edited June 2019

    What other breast issues are you having?? Mine only happens in one. It seems to be common here on BC.org but I can't find anything about the feeling on google. It just seems lots of people had it a few years before their diagnosis of BC, which is scary.

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  • Sherri000
    Sherri000 Member Posts: 47
    edited June 2019

    I had grouped amorphous microcalcifications last year and had an excisional biopsy that showed Atypical Ductal Hyperplasia. At my 6 month follow up I asked for an MRI and the MRI found a mass in a different location, same breast. It is microlobulated and spiculated so another biopsy is in order. I will have to wait and see once again.

    My only symptoms are that strange sensation (which I didn't consider a symptom until I saw it here) and pain. No palpable lump and no visible symptoms. In fact the radiologist who looked over my follow up mammogram and ultrasound after my MRI told me that it was a good thing I got the MRI because my mass was hiding in dense tissue and wasn't even really visible on the mammogram. It's possible that I had it last year and it was missed.


    It's sad that it takes an MRI to see things in dense tissue. Even then some people on here have said MRI even missed their issues. I don't know if women who don't end up with cancer or breast issues have this same sensation though. Maybe all women do? Still, it's a curious similarity here.

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  • djmammo
    djmammo Member Posts: 2,939
    edited June 2019

    I never heard women who were diagnosed with breast cancer ever mention anything about a "milk let down" sensation prior to or after diagnosis.

    If anyone has found an article that mentions this please send me the link. Thanks


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  • MelissaDallas
    MelissaDallas Member Posts: 7,268
    edited June 2019

    I've seen lots of mentions in “not diagnosed" but none I can remember were subsequently actually diagnosed

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  • Irishlove
    Irishlove Member Posts: 82
    edited June 2019

    I nursed two children for one year each. It was back in the 80's. The letdown reflex feeling hit me for years following but I was not diagnosed with b.c. until this year, age 63. This recollection is from La Leche League pamphlet (back in the day) that hearing a baby cry, hormones, etc. could trigger the sensation. The current reading or understanding I have is that some women have leakage for no known reason and others can be traced to b.c. Their may be a connection to papillary cysts, benign or cancerous. I did not have such sensation before diagnoses, but my Mother did and had leakage prior to being diagnosed. I'm not sure I really advanced this conversation.

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  • Verdana
    Verdana Member Posts: 26
    edited June 2019

    Was it in both breasts or one?

    I've read a number of threads here about women WITH BC who felt this feeling before their diagnosis.

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  • Irishlove
    Irishlove Member Posts: 82
    edited June 2019

    Verdana, If you are referring to me, both breasts. I did want to mention I had mastitis with my second baby (1983) in the left breast. I also had a partially inverted nipple, but gave that little thought as it was that way since puberty. This is the breast that had the papillary carcinoma this year. My right breast was found to have benign papillomatosis after mastectomy 5 weeks ago. With Mom she had a newly developed inverted nipple, burning sensation and finally leakage. .

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  • Verdana
    Verdana Member Posts: 26
    edited June 2019

    Thank you :)

    DJMammo, I found this thread where lots of women had the feeling and WERE diagnosed with Breast Cancer. But I'm struggling to find any actual articles on Google.


    https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/68/topics/782324?page=1#post_3954140

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  • djmammo
    djmammo Member Posts: 2,939
    edited June 2019

    This Forum is the first time I have heard this phenomenon discussed. I am specifically referring to the feeling/sensation of milk let down as a symptom only, not nipple discharge/leakage as that is a recognized sign of an intraductal process benign or otherwise.

    I am unable to find a paper suggesting a correlation between this sensation and breast malignancy. I will consult with colleagues and get back to y'all.


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  • djmammo
    djmammo Member Posts: 2,939
    edited June 2019

    UPDATE: I contacted a friend who is the head of beast imaging at a well respected breast imaging center in Pennsylvania and likewise he has never heard of that as a patient reported symptom associated with a subsequent diagnosis of BC. If I hear otherwise in the future I will post another update.

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