Lactation is the process where milk is produced in the breasts in preparation to feed an infant. If you are not pregnant or have not given birth recently, you could be concerned if your breasts begin to produce milk. A lot of woman would assume that they were pregnant if this were to happen. Lactation without pregnancy is not as uncommon as you might think. This would usually affect women of childbearing age, between 16 and 40 years of age. There are different reasons why lactation without pregnancy could occur. It is not usually harmful to the woman it is happening to.

Hormonal imbalances are probably the most common cause of this. A woman’s hormone levels will change during her lifetime. Lactation during pregnancy could occur when your hormone levels are high due to natural changes or due to medication you might be taking. The lactating should stop when your hormone levels go back to normal or when the medication is out of your system. Glandular problems can also cause a hormonal imbalance which can lead to this. An unnoticed miscarriage could be another reason causing lactation. You might mistake
the miscarriage for a very painful menstrual period.

Although lactation without pregnancy is not usually harmful, you should be examined by your medical practitioner to find out the cause. If it is being caused by a hormonal imbalance, you will need to get this treated before it leads to a more serious condition. If the hormonal imbalance is just due to natural changes in a woman’s body, you might just have to wait for your levels to go back to normal. If the hormone imbalance is caused from something else, you will need to receive the correct treatment to rectify this.

In most cases non-pregnancy lactation will rectify itself in time. It is rare that medical intervention is needed.

Some women who have never been pregnant induce lactation. This is more common in underdeveloped countries. If the nipples are stimulated by suckling or using a breast pump, the breast will eventually begin to produce milk. This can be a time consuming process, but worth the while for some mothers who have adopted babies or who are in a lesbian relationship. It is thought that there is no difference in the milk composition produced by induced lactation or by pregnancy.