Suddenly, my nipples are white like milk, what should I do?

May 16, 2022 08:18 GMT+7

This woman also did a breast self-examination according to the guidelines for breast cancer screening but found no abnormal lumps. However, sometimes I see fluid flowing, sometimes wetting a thin bra, if I press my hand on the breast, the fluid will flow more … making her not afraid.

“I don’t know what disease I have, whether I have breast cancer or not?”, this woman worried as she waited for her turn to be examined.

Illustrations

Discussing this situation, Ths.BS Dang Tien Giang, Deputy Head of Internal Medicine Department, K Hospital said that nipple discharge is a fairly common disease, mainly in women of reproductive age. However, at BV K, this symptom was also encountered in post-menopausal women.

Nipple discharge can be serous yellow discharge, thin clear mucus or milky discharge, or in some cases the fluid is mixed with blood and pus. This fluid can come out naturally or you can press your hand on the breast to release it.

“You shouldn’t be too worried if you find yourself in this situation. But you also need to be careful to see a specialist. Most of the nipple discharge has a benign cause, less than 10% is diagnosed as cancer, carcinoma…”, Ths. Dr. Dang Tien Giang information.

Experts also emphasize that the mammary glands themselves are milk-producing, so the discharge in the breast is the same color as milk, even if you are old, it is not a problem. This phenomenon is quite common in women who have passed the childbearing age, not in the breastfeeding period.

Women who are not breastfeeding suddenly appear nipple discharge due to the following reasons: Using drugs; Narrowing of the mammary ducts; Excessive breast stimulation; Breast abscess; Mastitis; Endocrine disorders; Fibrocystic changes (fibrocystic mammary gland changes are common in women between the ages of 30 and 50).

There are also cases of nipple discharge due to trauma to the breast; Prolactin-secreting tumor; Dilated or cystic ductal fibrosis; Increased lactation associated with amenorrhea, infertility.

Ths.BS Dang Tien Giang also emphasized, of these causes, ductal papilloma or papilloma in milk ducts is one of the most common causes of nipple discharge outside of lactation. It is also the cause of bloody nipple discharge. Usually, the patient’s blood in the nipple discharge will be very worried.

Doctors note that, basically, when you see a natural discharge from the nipple, or you can squeeze out a little white discharge that is almost milk-like, there is no serious problem.

But in case the discharge is mixed with blood, it is necessary to see a specialist doctor to determine the cause and treat it promptly. Because in the case of discharge from the nipple with blood, it may be because the lumen of the mammary gland is damaged and necrotic, so there is bleeding and nipple secretion.

Particularly for cases of white discharge, it is usually not serious, but it is uncomfortable because the underwear is often wet, and in some cases, it even seeps into the outerwear. To overcome this situation, a woman should not massage her breasts, stimulate the nipple because the more she massages, the more fluid is secreted. At the same time, wearing tight bras will also limit this situation.

However, if you see any abnormalities, such as continuous and prolonged discharge, you should see a doctor. Because in some cases, the discharge is because of mastitis, will have to take medicine to treat…

In addition, for women over 40 years old, it is recommended to have a mammogram once a year to detect breast abnormalities early. Mammography can detect breast cancer very early, when there are no clinical manifestations, the tumor cannot be palpable by hand.

N. Huyen