Q: I am a 27-years-old woman. I am not pregnant and I have not been stimulating my breasts either. However, a few days back I noticed a secretion from my breasts that appears to be milk. I had been taking Ciplox 500 mg tablets when I first noticed this. I had previously been detected with hypothyroidism but a doctor advised that since the imbalance was marginal and I did not have any symptoms, that level might be normal for my body. I am not taking any thyroid medication currently. Please suggest.

A:This is abnormal. You need to get your thyroid function tests and prolactin (blood tests) repeated. The milk secretion could be due to excess prolactin and this in turn could be due to hypothyroidism. It is important to differentiate between the 2 as excess prolactin resulting from increased TSH is treated by thyroid replacement; the other instance (not due to hypothyroidism) is treated with different medications. Prolactin has to be tested first thing in he morning - no sex nor breast stimulation on previous night. Thyroid tests should be done at same sitting.