colostrum but not pregnant - is it possible

[vanillacinamon]

don't know whether there is anyone with any medical / technical knowledge out there but is it possible to produce colostrum (not much but consistent, from both breasts and several days) without being pregnant? my youngest is just over one and i stopped breastfeeding him about 6 months ago and have not breastfed him since (not even occassionally). sex is more or less never and i have a copper coil in. i have had periods which (to my delight) have not been heavy or very painful as i expected them to be with copper coil. cannot remember whether i have had sex since my last period but think not. the only explanation i can think of is that a few days ago i looked at some photos of my newborn youngest son and thought he was gorgeous - so is it possible?

Yes it is possible - both my sister and I 'lactated' (only a small amount at a time and it wasn't 'free running' - sorry for TMI) for a couple of years around the age of 18. I know not the same circs, but definitely we were not pregnant, nor had been pregnant at the time. Both of us saw our GP about it and they put it down to hormones.. eventually it seemed that we both grew out of it in some way. Weird definitely but apparently not that unusual :)

I had this, lactating but not pregnant for about 3 months I had it. I went to the GP who referred me to the breast clinic. I had a mamogram and it showed up nothing. Doctor put it down to a blocked milk duct. It went eventually

I've lactated for several years, never had it leak out so to speak, but it was there. I seem to have high levels of prolactin in my body. I'm currently pregnant for the first time so it hadn't been because of a previous pregnancy.

extremely helpful thank you for all replies

I lactated a little a few years before I had ever been pregnant. It was supposedly a side-effect from some medication I was taking at the time, which I swapped, but still had it for several months. I was investigated at the hospital, but my prolactin levels were normal, and they said it was just 'one of those things', and not to worry about it, and to avoid 'checking' myself to see if it was still happening. I think if you have already been pregnant and/ or breastfed, it can be quite common, too- but might be worth testing your prolactin levels (a simple blood test) in case there's anything that needs investigating.

Yes, definitely possible. I stopped BFing DS a couple of months ago and am now producing small amounts of colostrum

I read that lactating when not pregnant or bf should always be checked out by your GP as it can be a sign of other problems.

Hopefully not -as most replies here suggest- but if I were you I'd nip to the GP and mention it.