My breasts have been really tender for the last week and a half. Usually they're only tender when I'm on my period. The day I ended my period is the day they started hurting. They also have milk in them. My youngest child is four years old. Could this mean that I am pregnant? What else could it be?

H.B.

Pregnancy is certainly a possibility -- tender, full breasts are many women's first hint of impending motherhood. Often, if this is not your first pregnancy, they may leak milk from an early stage. Other possibilities include use of birth control pills; drinking too mach caffeine; or a benign (noncancerous) pituitary gland tumor, which can promote milk production.

If you do not get your next period when you expect it, do a pregnancy test. Do one now if your last period was unusually light. If you have been ingesting a lot of caffeine, cut down. Most of the time, breast tenderness goes away by itself. If the tenderness and leakage continue and you are not pregnant, see your doctor for further evaluation.