Oral contraceptive steroids and breast secretions

The effects of oral contraceptive (OC) use and parity on the ability to obtain breast secretions were investigated in 368 non pregnant premenopausal women attending 3 family planning clinics in Edinburgh Scotland. A nipple cup consisting of 2 concentric rings was used to aspirate breast secretions and women were classified as secretors if at least 1 breast produced a visible bead of secretion. Record review indicated that 31 women had never used OCs 208 were current users and 129 had used OCs in the past (more than 3 months before the study). Secretions were aspirated in 164 (44.6%) of the 368 study subjects. There was a significant relationship between OC use and secretory patterns: the percentage of secretors was 67.7% among never-users 35.1% among current users and 54.3% among past users. Moreover secretion production was twice as common among parous women (59.6%) than nulliparous women (29.7%). Combined OCs were particularly associated with a reduced occurrence of breast secretions. Overall these findings indicate that OCs reduce the occurrence of breast secretions but this effect is restricted to parous women. All but 1 of the parous subjects with no history of OC use produced breast secretions. Greater understanding of breast physiology and the role of breast secretions is required before the clinical significance of the effects of OC use on breast secretions can be assessed.