‘Faces of doctors’ confirmed diagnosis after non-pregnant woman ‘lactated’

A woman was diagnosed with breast cancer after her nipple began ‘lactating’ — despite never having been pregnant. Laura Rowley, 43, first noticed fluid leaking from the nipple on her right breast.

The step-mum-of-two was prescribed medication to balance her hormones, yet the discharge persisted — and she then began to observe ‘dimpling’ on the same breast. She was subsequently referred to a specialist breast unit, and recalled that the moment she removed her bra, the expressions on the doctors’ faces said it all.

Medical staff discovered that Laura, from South Brent, Devon, had a tumour, which was biopsied and confirmed as breast cancer. She underwent a mammoplasty to remove the cancerous tissue, along with a reconstruction, all carried out within a single three-hour operation, during which six lymph nodes were also removed. Following 10 sessions of radiotherapy and a further five booster sessions, Laura is now back on her feet and is hopeful of returning to work in the near future.

Laura, who works as an apprenticeships business development officer, said: “When I started having lactation, I was embarrassed – it’s not really what you expect. I was put on hormone medication, but it made me feel awful – and I was still lactating.”

She added: “They asked me to come in the next day and the GP found a lump as soon as they checked my breast. The breast unit said it must have been there some time by the size of the tumour.

“My surgery was an invasive surgery with a big incision – I was sore when I woke up – but my tests all came back clear after that. I want people to be aware that lactation can be a symptom – it’s not always ‘just a lump’.”

Laura first noticed her nipple lactating in mid-2025 and sought advice from her GP. However, she said the issue was attributed to elevated prolactin levels — a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that regulates lactation and breast tissue development.

Consequently, she was referred to an endocrinologist and given medication to manage her hormone levels. Yet after a fortnight, the medication left her feeling poorly and failed to resolve the lactation, prompting her to return to her GP in September 2025.

During a breast examination, her GP discovered a lump, leading to a referral to the Primrose Breast Care Centre at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Laura said: “I could see by everyone’s face as soon as I removed my bra that they knew what it was. The doctor said there was a 99% chance it was cancer, but I held onto that 1% chance it wasn’t. But when the biopsy came back, they revealed I had Grade 2 HER2-negative breast cancer.”

On November 6, 2025, Laura underwent surgery at Derriford Hospital and was permitted to return home the same day to recuperate with a substantial prescription of pain medication. This was subsequently followed by a course of radiotherapy in January, alongside vitamin B12 injections, as her levels were depleted and assisted with her exhaustion. She was also prescribed tamoxifen, a hormone therapy medication which inhibits the effects of oestrogen, which was encouraging Laura’s tumour to develop.

Laura said: “Basically, the oestrogen was feeding the cancer. As a result of the hormone blockers I had to take, I was pushed into early menopause. That has come with hot flushes, fatigue and brain fog to the max.”

Laura and husband Jamie, 54, had no intentions to have children of their own and Laura is content as a proud stepmother to his two children from a previous relationship. Jamie also battled kidney cancer in 2009, so he has supported Laura throughout her journey thanks to his own personal experience. Laura now wishes to raise awareness to remind people that breast cancer symptoms can manifest in other forms than simply discovering a lump, as she experienced lactation and ‘dimpling’ before a lump emerged.

She said: “If you’re not sure, speak up, talk to close friends, family, anyone – don’t just stay quiet and hide behind closed doors. Symptoms can be unusual, but you should still make a call to the doctor and get checked. It’s so important.

“I’m a very positive thinker and people say I’ve dealt with it well, although of course there have been moments where I cried to my husband. I just feel relieved to get to the bottom of it and I feel grateful that we caught it in time.”

Breast Cancer Now associate director of public health, inclusion and awareness Manveet Basra stressed the importance of everyone making breast checking a routine habit in order to identify any new or unusual changes and have them assessed by a GP.

Manveet said: “Laura’s story is an important reminder to be aware of any changes to your breasts and to always get these checked out by a GP. Many women know that a lump can be a possible symptom of breast cancer, but some other signs of the disease to look for also include nipple discharge, dimpling or puckering of the skin of the breast, or changes in size or shape of the breast.

“Signs and symptoms may appear differently on different skin tones. At Breast Cancer Now, we say checking your breasts is as easy as TLC. Touch your breasts; can you feel anything new or unusual? Look for changes; does anything look different to you? And finally, check any new or unusual changes with a GP.”