Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast.

My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about Galactaria.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero definals.com slash galactorea

or in the breast surgery section of the Zero to Finals surgery book. So let's get straight into it.

Galactaria refers to breast milk production that's not associated with pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Breast milk is produced in response to the hormone prolactin.

Prolactin is produced in the anterior pituitary gland,

and it's also produced in other organs in smaller amounts, such as the breast and the prostate.

Prolactin also regulates aspects of immune function and metabolism. Dopamine blocks the secretion of prolactin.

Therefore, dopamine antagonists or medications that block dopamine, for example antipsychotic

medications, can result in raised prolactin and galactaria.

Dopamine agonistsists or medications that stimulate dopamine receptors,

for example bromocryptine or carbodylene, can be used to suppress prolactin secretion,

so they can be used in the treatment of a raised prolactin. Let's talk about pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Milk production may start in small amounts during the second or the third trimester of pregnancy and leaking of breast milk can occur during that time.

Estrogen and progesterone inhibit the secretion of prolactin. In pregnancy, higher levels of estrogen and progesterone inhibit the secretion of prolactin.

In pregnancy, higher levels of estrogen and progesterone inhibit the breast milk production.

A hormone called oxytocin stimulates breast milk excretion.

The full production of breast milk starts shortly after birth because around this time there's a

large amount of oxytocin that's released and also a rapid drop in the estrogen and the

progesterone levels.

Breast milk production will taper off and stop after breastfeeding stops.

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