Finding a lump in your breast can be extremely nerve-wracking. If you find a moveable lump in your breast while breastfeeding, the lump may be a galactocele – a cyst in your breast that is filled with milk. Here is what you need to know about galactoceles.
What is a galactocele?
A galactocele is a cyst in the breast that is filled with milk. They occur (pretty rarely) in women who are pregnant, lactating, or have recently been lactating.
How can I tell if I have one? Galactocele vs plugged duct
If you are lactating and you notice a smooth, moveable lump in your breast, you might have a galactocele. They are sometimes mistaken for clogged ducts or for breast cancer (since both of these also have lumps as the first symptom).
They may or may not be painful, and they often change size (sometimes filling up, sometimes getting smaller). The pain is caused by the surrounding tissue being stretched.
One difference between a galactocele and a clogged duct is that galactoceles are often much larger. They can be from 1 to 6 cm in diameter. A golf ball sized lump in your breast is far more likely to be a galactocele than a clogged milk duct.
Galactoceles have to be diagnosed by a doctor. Because galactoceles and breast cancer both present with smooth and moveable lumps, doctors will generally refer women who have them for a breast cancer screening. In most cases, you will get an ultrasound and a biopsy to evaluate the lump; however, sometimes a mammogram is the first step.
One important thing to note is that galactoceles are not dangerous and have no relationship to breast cancer. The main issue with them (and of course it’s not a small one) is your discomfort.
How is a galactocele treated? Will it go away on its own?
If they aren’t painful, the standard treatment is the same as it is for a cyst: just leaving them alone. If they are painful, they can be drained via fine needle aspiration (though unfortunately, they sometimes fill up again).
Most of the time, your body will reabsorb an untreated galactocele when you are done breastfeeding. If for whatever reason it doesn’t, the milk duct can be removed surgically.
Ibuprofen and warm showers can help treat the pain associated with the them.
Can you have a galactocele in your armpit?
It’s possible for you to have breast tissue in your underarm, and so you can get galactoceles there. Here is a case study of one.
Is there any way that I can prevent it from coming back?
Unfortunately, there is no definitive way to do this. If the milk is aspirated, it can fill right back up again. There are a few things that you can try:
- Weaning from the affected breast (and continuing to pump from the breast without the galactocele).
- Taking a lecithin supplement to decrease the stickiness of your milk.
- Surgical removal of the milk duct (before or after weaning from breastfeeding).
- Several women stated that their galactocele was significantly reduced when they got the flu and became dehydrated (this obviously isn’t something I would recommend, but you can see if decreasing fluid intake a bit – not to the degree that you become dehydrated – helps keep the size under control)
(I would encourage anyone who thinks that they may have a galactocele to read these first-hand accounts from women who had one, along with this scientific explanation of how they are diagnosed.)
Have you had a galactocele? It would be great if you could comment and tell us about your experience!
References- Moose & Doc Breast Cancer. “Galactocele of the Breast.” https://breast-cancer.ca/miscellaneous-breast-lesions/galactocele.htm
- American Journal of Surgery. “Galactocele of the Breast.” https://www.americanjournalofsurgery.com/article/0002-9610(64)90352-6/abstract
I had a galactocele for the first time back in 2011 before there was really anything on the internet about it! It kept filling up and I would have 12 oz of milk aspirated off of it like 3 different times by a breast surgeon before my lactation consultant and I finally figured out what was going on! It was so painful and frustrating, but I was determined to keep breastfeeding! I nursed my baby less on my right side and my left side made up for it over time. I also applied sage oil JUST to the area that was filling up (top pf right breast) since cabbage & nothing else was working! The sage oil worked great to help dry the galactocele up! With subsequent children, when my milk comes in, I pretty quickly apply sage oil just to that spot to keep it from producing much milk and so far so good & no more issues! I’m about to have my 4th child in August! Hopefully this helps someone!
I have been waiting to read something like this. I’ve had a recurring galactocele with every birth I’ve had, it gets drained and swiftly fills up and reflecting on it its the breast that produces a lot more milk then the other. I will definitely try the sage oil and feed less on affected breast.
S Says, did you end up having surgery? I think I have one some. Stopped breastfeeding after 4.25 years. It’s been 5 months and it seams to be getting harder and more uncomfortable right around where my glands would normally fill up with milk when breastfeeding. Going to take sunflower letchin and call my doctor.
Hi.. I am also in the same boat. After 2.5 years I am going to do the surgery and remove it off. Anyone who has gone through the surgery… advise how long does it take to heal? Should I rest until it heals?
Did you have the surgery? I weaned a few months ago and the 6cm galactocele hasn’t changed. I never aspirated, but am now considering surgery.
I’m not trying to scare you but I think you should have the biopsy. It will put your mind at rest. I was unfortunately misdiagnosed with a galactocele and pushed for the biopsy. I wasn’t in pain but I knew something wasn’t right.
Hi ladies! I just want to add my experience, since it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of information about galactoceles online. I appreciate everyone’s comments.
I BF my first kid with no problems. I got mastitis when #2 was a newborn. I noticed a lump 2-3 months later and freaked out. I had an ultrasound and was told it was a fluid-filled cyst and not to worry. It stayed (no pain) for a year and then shrank a bit when I had weaned, but I got pregnant right away and it nwcer fullt disappeared. As soon as my milk came in with #3 it was back. It was there for another year and here I with my #4 being 9 months old and the “cyst” is still there! I just recovered from yet another bout of mastitis and was relieved to feel it shrink significantly during the infection.
All the shrinking and growing convinces me that the cyst is a galactocele, but I still worry, as I’ve had it for FIVE YEARS! Thankfully it doesn’t hurt, but I always worry about it being cancerous or something. ☹️
Anyway, I have an ultrasound to check on it on Friday. Ive never had it biopsied and I would wonder if I should? I don’t necessarily want to aspirate, because everything I read says it will just refill.
Hi Kieran, I am interested in your breastfeeding experience with a galactocele in subsequent pregnancy. I note you mention getting mastitis again. I am terrified that trying to get pregnant and breastfeed again with galactoceles that did not resolve after BF stopped (have not BF in 18 months) would set me up for getting mastitis again if I were to try and BF.
My experience- large galactocele appeared after bad bout of mastitis. Did not change size much. Had it scanned twice about a year apart and aspirated to determine contents (not drain – apparently draining would have to have had a tap as it was very thick and the risk of bacetria getting in and infection occuring is high so was advised to leave alone). That being said – surgery and scarring is probably just as likely to cause issues with BF.
I continued to BF after getting a galactocele for 15 months. It was awful (mastitis, poor latch/nipple shield) the first 5 months then got better as her mouth size got bigger and latch improved a little.
I think the medical consensus in Australia is leave it alone if it is not causing problems and it should resolve by itself. Unfortunately no signs of resolving on its own.
I was just diagnosed with a galactocele today. I am 9 weeks postpartum. It’s the size of a kiwi. I’ve only been able to pump 1-2oz every 2-4 hours at a time. It’s painful and causing pins and needle like pain. I don’t have any flu like symptoms. I’ve had mastitis and clogged ducts in the same breast previous to this large lump. My infant won’t nurse from that side at all as it has also caused my nipple to flatten. I’m feeling at a loss for any relief. I’ve tried using a cold compress and then heat right before pumping along with taking Lecithin. I’m currently taking antibiotics and hoping it’ll help. Has anyone had an issue with their nipple going flat?
Hello,
Yes I had a very similar experience yo you. The area around my aerola was so swollen my nipple kind of “disappeared” and my baby refused that nipple. I was able to find a breast specialist who specializes in galactoceles treatment and had mine drained and collapsed!
Have you been treated for yeast? I know that sounds crazy. I had my 4th baby in March and had similar issues – flu, then mastitis, then a clogged duct that turned into an abscess, followed by surgery for the abscess and now a galactocele in the same boob! My lactation specialist suggested treating for yeast after the abscess surgery because I was still having the pins and needles, shooting, toe curling pains. It worked! Her theory was that it was up in my ducts causing the pain.
I believe I have a galactocele. I have a large lump on my left breast bigger than a golf ball. It just popped up one day. I never had mastitis. I was told to massage it bc it’s just a clogged duct and it swelled to the size of a large lemon. My gut says it’s a galactocele though. I do warm compress before nursing, ice pack after and nurse 2 babies on demand. I also take 1200mg of lecithin 4x a day and since I started that it shrunk back down to a little bigger than a golf ball. I have to take pain meds because mine is very painful. I cant even wear a bra. I’m trying to get in to get an ultrasound and to see a breast specialist but my insurance sucks at the moment and it’s a long process waiting for approval. If it’s a galactocele like i think it is I’ll try to have it aspirated a few times and see how that goes. I’m not ready to wean my babies and they aren’t ready either. I’ll avoid surgery and landing it as much as I can. Dr Jack Newman advises to treat a galactocele with needle aspiration or a catheter. I read about a breast specialist doing FNA (fine needle aspiration) a few times (usually/ideally get less and less with each visit) then on the last visit he “rinses” out the galactocele with a saline solution to break down any hardened milk]. One woman said hers did not return after the 4th visit and saline solution and that she believes the saline helped dislodge the original plug in the duct because hers did not return. Im going to mention that to my breast specialist. For most women they resolve on their own sometime after weaning but when your breastfeeding journey is nowhere near ready to end and you’re in pain we need to try something less invasive. It’s important that we all help each other with information because there isnt a whole lot of info out there on galactoceles. Many doctors don’t even know what they are. Ive breastfed for a total of about 8 years,4 kids so far and have never had one until now. I hope you ladies find relief soon!
I’m 2 months post partum and found a lump as well. It’s not painfull and not too large. I told my OB she said to massage it and put hot compressions. That of it doesn’t go away in a week she will order an ultrasound. That breast is the one that makes more milk but haven’t had clogged milk duct on that breast.
Keep me posted.
Before my last post, I tried to force out the mass (as a plugged duct). It is now gigantic in size… I’m worried it’s now abscessed. On antibiotics, but scared. I live in a small town and my doctor doesn’t know what’s going on 🙁
Hi Andy Says,
I was treated for mastisis recently and unfortunately, I had a clog on each side of my right breast. The outside one turned into an abscess and the inside one a galactocele. You will know if it’s abscessed, my was super sore to anything that touched it and sore in general. The skin also got very red and angry looking. The best luck I have had finding help has been at the local hospital. The lactation department has worked closely with general surgery on my case it has been a learning experience for all involved. I would recommend trying a hospital route. We live in a small town and I drive almost an hour to this hospital. The good news is, with it being a hospital, it’s a one stop shop – sonograms, lactation department, general surgery…all in the same place and I was able to get all the care I needed in the same day.
I got an ultrasound on Tuesday and the results were inconclusive without a biopsy but the radiologist believes it is a lactation adenoma. I have to wait 4 weeks for a follow up to see if there are any changes. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, I will be anxiously waiting. I hope you can get some answers and some relief!
I am relieved to find this thread. I have been feverishly searching the internet to figure out what this mass/lump could be and how to address it. I’m scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow and was very nervous that it was not related to breastfeeding but now I’m thinking it’s galactocele. I don’t have much pain unless I try to massage it. I stopped pumping about 3 weeks ago after 9 months. I’m anxious for some results and answers. Thanks for sharing your stories and providing some information.
I’m in the same boat!! So happy to have found this thread. And Jocelyn – I see you just posted this days ago.
I’m 5 Weeks postpartum and have a large mass (2x2cm) on my right breast. Like others, I tried everything for a plugged duct (like literally everything) to no avail. Hoping for an ultrasound tomorrow or Monday…
I developed mastitis around 3 weeks postpartum. I caught it really early due to fever like symptoms. I didn’t really have any painful lumps that first time. The first round of antibiotics didn’t get rid of it and it came back. When it came back I got the painful lump, red streaking, and flu like symptoms. My son had issues latching which led to all of this. In addition when I got the lump which took up 3/4 of my breast he couldn’t latch on the side at all. So I used a nipple shield. However, due to the location and size of the mass I would put pressure on my breast so he could breath while nursing (this is the same location of my galactocele). After my second round of antibiotics I was still left with a large lump. My obgyn kept telling me it was just a clogged duct (for me clogged ducts are smaller and feel bruised; my galactocele did not hurt). I didn’t agree and requested an ultrasound. It turned out to be a galactocele. I choose to have it aspirated. They tested the milk and the test showed no bacteria. It did fill back up. I then saw a doctor who specializes in breastfeeding. She had a milk culture done and found bacteria so I was placed on an antibiotic for that specific bacteria. At the end of that antibiotic round my galactocele reduced in size from 3/4 my breast to 1/8 of my breast. I am now almost 11 months postpartum and exclusively pumping. My galactocele is still there but small. My doctor wants to have another ultrasound after I am done breastfeeding just to see how it is looking.
I found a lump (about 3cm*3cm) in my right breast a week ago (my baby is 4.5month old), and I went to see my OB, she said it should be a clogged duct considering I had 2 cases of mastitis in the last month. She told my to continue breastfeed for 2 weeks and see if the lump would still be there. If yes, she will send my to get an ultrasound done to find or what it is. After reading this page and comments ( thanks for all the great info here), I suspect that it’s a galactocele lump. I am planning to call my OB and see what she will say. And I will keep update as things move along. Fingers cross.
Good luck!!!! Definitely let us know.
Hello, What you wrote sounds like me, but I’ve been breastfeeding for 8 months found a lump in the top part of my breast i went for a ultra sound and thy said it was galac. But thy didn’t do any biopsy. I’m actually more concerned it’s cancer and getting mis diagnosed. Did thy biopsy you? And what was your outcome. Can you get mis diagnosed ? Or thy can give you a confirmation it’s galac, just threw ultra sound.
Hi Sabrina，
I am sorry to hear that you found a lump too.
I didn’t actually get an ultrasound neither a biopsy as my OB suggested (I was to tired taking care of my daughter and kept delaying to schedule an appointment). But about two months later the lump just dissapeared ( I can’t feel it anymore after one breastfeeding). And I didn’t schedule any other appointment to follow up either. I notice that the affected breast produces much less than before.
My daughter just had her first birthday and we are still doing breastfeeding. It seems everything goes fine now.
I hope you can find out a solution very soon, maybe you can request another check with other doctors. Wish you all the best.
I thought I should add story so far as I found the comments here really helpful 🙂
I noticed what I thought was a blocked duct at 3 weeks pp after having mastitis twice in that breast prior. I did the usual massage, warm compresses, cabbage leaves but nothing worked. I noticed the lump was painless when I left it alone so that’s what I did, then 1.5 weeks later it became painful. I had acupuncture, ultrasound therapy (with remedial massage-ouch!) and continued the treatment as before with the addition of 3 hourly pumping to no avail and ended up with a severely bruised breast and an even more enormous lump. After speaking to a lactation consultant I organised to have an ultrasound and was diagnosed with a galactocele, so I stopped treatment and just kept feeding as often and in as many positions as possible.
One day later my breast became red and tender and I had a headache, then on Christmas day I felt totally rotten and in a lot of pain-we went to an on call dr who prescribed antibiotics. Two days later and the pain was still there and the galactocele became hard and even more painful, and I started getting a lump in my armpit, so I organised to see a breast surgeon. He did ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration today and removed 100ml of green fluid, then milky pus, then blood (but sheesh, I wish he’d given me a local, that was uber painful!). At this stage we still think it’s an infected galactocele but he’s sent the aspirate to pathology. It has already refilled to about half the size it was beforehand just 12 hrs post aspiration, and he’s said I’ll probably need to aspirate another few times and if that doesn’t work then I should have surgery. My lactation consultant is recommending having it aspirated in a week or so but otherwise just seeing how it goes…I’ve no idea what course of action I’m going to take yet, but I’ll update if I remember, hopefully with good news 😉
I’m battleling a galactocele for the past 7 weeks and I’m so miserable! It all started with a little lump 4 weeks postpartum. I noticed in my Lactation group and the consultant told me not to worry because it was just a clogged duct and to work on it with massage and warm compresses WELL let me tell you, the little lump became a big ball the size of a kiwi, extremely painful, hard and very uncomfortable. I had high fevers (104) and chills, went to the hospital several times, visited 4 different doctors and nobody was able to help me! At the moment I’m being treated by a breast surgeon who has aspirated my breast in his office twice (worst pain ever!!!!) and also I had 3 ultrasound and aspirations as well with absolutely no positive results! The cyst fills right after the aspirations which is so depressing because I have to endure so much pain.
At the moment my breast is draining from a little orifice that the needle left the last time I got aspirated (2 days ago) Half of my breast it’s so red, tender and the skin is peeling. I’m taking antibiotics (I’m in my fourth round of antibiotics) and also I take 1200 mg of ibuprofen daily to cope with the pain.
Next week I will be seeing a breast specialist in Boston hopefully i can get a good treatment there and some relieve to my pain.
Galactoceles are ruining my days especially my breastfeeding experience with my baby 🙁 this is just so terrible and I don’t wish this to anyone.
It’s definitely a pain for sure . I ended up in the emergency room for immediate surgery with a huge breast abscess it was so bad. I now have a drain tube in and will see the dr today to hopefully have it taken out. I hope they are able to help you very soon.
I am in the same boat with a huge one in my left breast and it’s right behind my nipple and pretty uncomfortable and painful. I see a surgeon in a couple weeks to decide on aspiration or surgery . I think I’ll just do the surgery.
Wow, my experience does not seem nearly as dramatic. My (small) lump appeared 3 weeks after delivery. I figured it was a blocked duct and massaged it during pumping and feeds, but it never went away. On the plus side it didn’t turn into mastitis! When baby turned 5 months I figured I should really deal with it instead of just assuming it would go away. Of course, I was pretty laid back only because there was absolutely no pain.
I saw my GP, he referred me for an ultrasound. The sonographer was pretty confident that it wasn’t anything dangerous and I just saw my GP for the official results this morning. A 2 cm galactocele. So long as it stays non-painful the hope is that it will disappear once I stop nursing, they have suggested a follow up ultrasound once that happens to check whether/if it has reduced in size.
I was glad the diagnosis could be made without a biopsy. Apparently they can differentiate it from other types of cysts because it contained: ‘echogenic debris, and a fat-fluid level’. You can google ultrasound images online… you know how your milk separates in the fridge? Well, it does the same in the cyst – pretty funny really! Some sonographers will get you to change position to see if the fatty layer will shift to the top of the image 🙂
A reminder, get all lumps in your boobs checked out – harmless or not, at least you’ll know what you’re dealing with.
So it seems that this is what I have. I’ve been to see an OB, Midwife and PA…. They all said it was a clogged duct. I got put on antibiotics after it infected… Second day on those and a head (like a boil or pimple) formed and then popped-on the outside, thankfully… I’ve been draining cyst fluid from my breast for 2 weeks and all they can tell me is keep the milk moving so it doesn’t get infected… Which means hand expression as a pump gives me a blister and the baby can’t latch as it’s making my nipple flat.
For blisters pumping I use Motherlove nipple cream. It’s safe and organic, and it has allowed me to continue pumping through blisters and split skin. Use it generously, and the first minute or two of pumping will still be pretty sore, but soon the pain fades.
I first had Galactocele in 2008 with my first one. No one knew about it by then and it lot of doctor visits, breast specialist visits and a mammogram to diagnose it. It went away after I stopped nursing. Now, I was so nervous with my second one in 2014 that it will come back. And it did but I knew what to expect and told the doctor that it has happened before. She referred me to a clinic where they help open clogged ducts with massage and hot compress. It did help but the galactocele never went away. Doctor said it will after I stop nursing but it is still there a big lump after more than a year!! I am so nervous and have an appointment scheduled for next week. Please tell me it takes longer and it will still go away without any surgery!!! 🙁
Hi my galactoee first appeard when I was pregnant and then became big about the 3rd month of nursing which is whe I decided to get evaluated. It was ultimately determined that I was to go for a biopsy and luckily, the fine syringe just drew some milk. The cyst was fully aspirated at the time of biopsy, but returned to full size (golf ball) over the next couple days of nursing as usual. Here we are 4 years later and weaned for about 2years now, the galactocele did get smaller and popped literally the other day. I do feel a bit sore in the area but nothing significant at all. The cyst was never painful, just strange. No surgical intervention.
I was diagnosed with one after my mastitis flu symptoms were gone but the clogged duct remained. They did a mammogram and an ultrasound to diagnose. We did aspirate it that day, but it refilled within 24 hours. They’ve told me I’m welcome to come back for repeat aspirations but for now I’m holding off as I didn’t see a huge benefit from the last one. No further infection so I haven’t had to take more antibiotics since the original mastitis. It’s no longer painful, but it’s a permanent bump on the top of my breast.
The plus side is that I no longer beat it up trying to get it to drain once I learned it wouldn’t drain on it’s own… but yup I’m stuck with it until I stop lactating I was told. I do take lecithin these days (wish I knew about it before this started!) and that has stopped me from clogging up all the time, it’s my miracle drug. I will likely try aspiration again after we hit the 1 year mark with my baby and I stop pumping (I exclusively pump).
I had a galactocele. It showed up about 3 weeks after I delivered. My lactation consultant told me not to worry about it. I thought nothing of it until it started to get bigger and bigger. By the 3rd month post pardum I went to see a breast surgeon. She really was surprised and had never seen anything like it. For about a month I was using hot compresses and doing massages on it. I had it drained a few times but it kept filling up. One night while I was massaging it I felt something pop. Within one day, my breast was so sore and tender. My breast surgeon had no choice but to schedule me for surgery to have it drained. It was horrible. The night before the surgery, my breast got so discolored from the milk trying to escape that it looked black. The surgery went really well and I felt a million times better instantly. I stayed in the hospital for 2 days and then had to have a visiting nurse come and put new packing in it for about a month. It was a stressful ordeal. The whole time I was trying to avoid having surgery but in the end, it’s what really worked. Needless to say I won’t be breastfeeding the second time around. I’m too nervous.
After 4 occurrences of mastitis, the lump didn’t leave my boob and I was diagnosed with having a galactocele. Luckily for me I have the NHS here in the uk and was seen twice weekly for aspiration. The first procedure was a bit tricky as the contents of my cyst was quite thick and sticky, but it got thinner with each aspiration. I also had to change antibiotics after the contents of the cyst was tested. After 4 weeks the lump has gone although I am still seeing the breast specialist and will likely have a scan in the near future now that the discomfort has passed. My baby is 16 weeks and I am still breast feeding. I have been told to come back for further aspiration if I feel that I may be filling up again, so I’m not cured then while I continue to breast feed
I noticed a small lump in my breast and I massaged it and it got a lil but bigger then I notified my doctor who is a surgeon! He advices I removed it surgically and yes I accepted! Tho am breastfeeding my 9months old son! I removed it surgically and the wound is healing gradually
wondering what your status was after removing it surgically? were you able to BF anymore?
I developed a lump after mastitis and was diagnosed with a galactocele after a mammogram, ultrasound, and needle aspiration. The milk was sent for culture and showed continued infection. My OB referred me to a breast surgeon who did not seem to have experience with galactoceles–told me to just stop nursing. Did not offer new script for antibiotics. Refused to look up which antibiotics are safe for nursing. I ended up developing an abscess on that side and had to have that drained. My breast felt normal for <4 hours. The galactocele filled up again after I pumped. I saw another surgeon for a second opinion–she also offered no other solution than to stop nursing completely. I spoke to a lactation consultant about nursing only on the unaffected side–I stopped completely on the galactocele side. I was engorged for a week and then the pain gradually went away and the galactocele shrunk. I am also taking sunflower lecithin 2400mg twice a day and a probiotic. I can still feel a mass in that breast but it has greatly decreased in size (from about a kiwi to less than a ping pong ball) and no pain anymore. I emailed Dr Jack Newman, a breastfeeding specialist from Canada, and he said the galactocele should completely resolve after cessation of nursing. He seems very knowledgeable on the issue and anyone with a galactocele should look him up and contact him for info.
I have an 8cm galactocele that is really painful. Tried fine needle aspiration tried lecithin warm showers warm compresses and massages but none worked. The doctor is going to try an in office procedure tomorrow called a mammotome where he inserts a really big needle and tries to break it up with water and suction it out. Hopefully that will work otherwise they recommend surgery but my daughter is only 7 weeks old so I’m not interested in surgery just yet
How did the procedure go? I am in the same boat as you and would love to know
Is the Fine Needle Aspiration painful? Does milk leak through the aspirated site? Will there be blood in the milk during breastfeeding?