Does mammary duct ectasia mean I'm starting menopause?

[ControlCreeeaaak]

I have discharge from both nipples that is in keeping with everything I've seen/read about mammary duct ectasia. The NHS website says this is a sign of the onset of menopause, and other websites also say it's common during peri-menopause.

I am 37, have no children and am waiting to undergo my second round of IVF. The thought of starting the menopause right now is freaking me out. Does anyone have any advice/knowledge/experience of duct ectasia? Could the discharge be brought on by my last round of IVF (May/June this year)? Could it be completely unrelated to menopause? My mum didn't start with symptoms of her menopause until she was in her mid forties. Could my IVF have fast forwarded my body clock by about 10 years?

Sorry, too many coulds there and I know nobody will be able to tell me definitively. Thanks for reading.

I have duct ectasia that turned into a very nasty bout of mastitis, so do get this checked if you haven't already done so.

BTW i still get periods even though i was diagnosed with the ectasia 2 years ago.

Also the the peri-menopause , during which time you can get pregnant ,can last for up to 10 years.

Do you smoke? as that also increases the risk of it developing.

Thanks for replying NK346, no, I've never smoked. I haven't had it checked as no pain, no lumps, no redness or changes other than the discharge being greeny brown but will definitely do so if anything untoward starts to happen.

I know it's possible to still get pregnant during peri-menopause, I could just do without the added hurdle since my eggs aren't great due to endo. It's good to know your periods are still regular two years on though.

Get. It. Checked. Out.

In RL. By an actual dr.

Bilat nipple discharge can be any number of things, none of which any of us on t'interweb can be certain about.

Get it checked out now, particularly as you are TTC.

Pacific gives the right advice. NEVER assume something is something because it resembles something off the internet. Please just get yourself checked out.

It'll likely be nothing. But a Doc needs to tell you that, not us or the internet.

Thanks Pacific and mignonnette I should have made it clear in my OP that I am not looking for an internet diagnosis. Just wanted to hear others' experiences. I am not looking to replace RL diagnosis with t'interwebs.

I don't know about IVF fast forwarding your body, but it can certainly impact on your boobs generally - due to the surges of hormones.

I had a couple of rounds of IVF, and a couple of early miscarriages, in my late 30s/early 40s. By 41 I had benign cystic changes in both breasts, and my surgeon said he'd seen that a lot - breasts changing due to hormone surges.

Anyway, all fine in my case and that was over 10 years ago - but yes, do get checked out. I think having peace of mind about boobs counts for a lot when TTC - as you say, you don't need anything else to worry about

Wishing you all the best on all fronts!