DESPITE the fact that nipples are designed to express milk, discharge from them can be alarming.
Nipple discharge isn’t uncommon, even if you’re not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Breast Cancer Care says that it’s perfectly normal to experience some spontaneous discharge from nipples.
“(It) might happen after exercise or after massaging the breast or nipple.
“Nipple discharge is generally white, but can range from yellow to green to a brown/red colour. It generally appears in small amounts.
“Unless there’s a large amount of discharge from the nipple, this is nothing to worry about – though of course, you can visit your doctor or practice nurse if you have any concerns.
But as they say, not all nipple discharge looks the same. In fact, it can come in a whole host of colours, from amber to black.
Writing in the , Dr Kristi Funk said: “You can ignore the discharge (other than bloody, red, brown, or clear, like water) as long as it only happens when you squeeze around your nipples.
“It can be (honestly) amber, yellow, green, blue, grey, white and black. These colours, when associated with discharge only elicited by squeezing, come from benign conditions like cysts and hormone imbalances.
“You only need a check if discharge emerges spontaneously.”
Here are the colours to watch out for:
Yellow, grey or green
When you approach the menopause, it’s also pretty common to experience a bit of non-bloody leakage from both breasts, due to hormonal changes.
Green-tinted or grey discharge tends to be down to something called mammary duct ectasia, which normally happens around that time.
It’s a benign (non-cancerous) condition that happens because the milk ducts get swollen and clogged.
Benign growths in the duct, called a papilloma, can also cause yellow or green-ish discharge.
They’re normally too small to feel during a self-breast examination and tend to be diagnosed with a mammogram before being surgically removed.
How to prevent breast cancer
As the causes of breast cancer aren’t fully understood, it’s not known if it can be prevented altogether.
Saying that, there are a couple of things you can do to minimise your chances:
Diet and lifestyle
Regular exercise and a healthy, balanced diet are recommended for all women as they can help prevent many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer.
Studies have looked at the link between breast cancer and diet, and although there are no definite conclusions, there are benefits for women who:
- maintain a healthy weight
- exercise regularly
- have a low intake of saturated fat and alcohol
It’s also been suggested that regular exercise can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer by as much as a third.
If you’ve been through the menopause, it’s particularly important that you’re not overweight or obese. This is because these conditions cause more oestrogen to be produced by your body, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.
Breastfeeding
Studies have shown women who breastfeed are statistically less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don’t.
The reasons aren’t fully understood, but it could be because women don’t ovulate as regularly while they’re breastfeeding and oestrogen levels remain stable.
There are a number of treatments open to those women who have an increased risk of developing the disease.
Your level of risk is determined by factors such as your age, your family’s medical history, and the results of genetic tests.
The two main treatments are surgery to remove the breasts (mastectomy) or medication.
You can find out more from the .
White or clear
Galactorrhea is a term for milky discharge from one, or both, nipples.
It’s fairly common affecting around 25 per cent of women.
The condition is often caused by an increase in the hormone prolactin, which stimulates the production of breast milk, but certain medications like antidepressants, blood pressure drugs and anti-psychotics can cause the discharge.
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Taking the Pill can also cause galactorrhea due to the synthetic hormones in the contraception.
The most common cause is obviously pregnancy or breastfeeding, but outside of that, it can just be a result of stimulation.
Some women can also produce milky “ductal fluid” after working out as a result of sports bra friction.
Bloody discharge
If blood is coming out of your nipples, it’s definitely worth having them checked by your GP.
In some rare cases, it can be a sign of a cancerous tumour (the tumour can produce blood), and an early indication of breast cancer.
Male nipple discharge
Men can also experience nipple discharge, and that can be down to a number of factors – many of which are the same as women.
Puberty can cause nipple discharge due to the change in hormone levels, and men can also suffer from duct ectasia, breast infections and papillomas.
Occasionally, men can also develop pituitary tumours called prolactinomas which reduce testosterone in men. Symptoms can include having larger breasts, milky discharge and impotence.
And men can also get breast cancer, with the symptoms being very similar to those of women (including hard lumps appearing in armpits).
It’s worth saying that while nipple discharge isn’t uncommon, anyone experiencing it should always get it checked out by your GP anyway.
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Make an appointment straight away if happens regularly, only comes from one boob, is bloodstained or smelly, you’re not breastfeeding and it leaks with no pressure put on your breast, you’re over 50, you have other symptoms like a lump or swelling.
In some cases, although it is rare, nipple discharge could be a sign of breast cancer.
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