Squeeze a little water from the nipple

Women's nipples generally do not secrete fluid unless they are breastfeeding. However, many women have experienced a little bit of clear water coming out of their nipples, especially some unmarried women. Therefore, we need to have a certain understanding of the reasons why a little bit of clear water is squeezed out of the nipple and determine the cause as soon as possible.

The squeeze of a little bit of clear water from the nipple is medically called nipple discharge. Nipple discharge can be divided into physiological factors and pathological factors. Physiological factors mostly refer to the period during which, due to increased estrogen levels and hyperplasia of the mammary ducts, clear fluid will overflow from the nipples during the menstrual period or the growth and development period. Pathological factors mostly refer to nipple discharge caused by breast disease, which can be manifested as yellowish or colorless liquid discharge from the nipple after suffering from cystic breast hyperplasia. When you have intraductal papilloma, reddish fluid may leak out of the nipple, and bloody fluid may leak out when the nipple is squeezed. If bright red fluid oozes out of the nipple, breast malignancy should be highly suspected. There are many reasons for nipple discharge. When nipple discharge occurs, you should go to the breast surgery or general surgery department of a regular hospital to identify the cause and actively treat it.

Clinical manifestations

If the nipple discharge is from one nipple, it is often related to the following breast diseases:

1. Mammary duct ectasia

For some patients with this disease, the first symptom is nipple discharge. The color of the discharge is mostly brown, and a few are bloody. This disease is more common in non-lactating or menopausal women over 40 years old. There is a lump adhered to the skin in the areola area where discharge occurs, which is usually less than 3 cm in diameter. The axillary lymph nodes on the same side may be enlarged, soft, and tender.

2. Intraductal papilloma

This disease is more common in people aged 40 to 50. The tumor mostly occurs in the area near the nipple. The tumor is very small, has a pedicle and villi, and has many thin-walled blood vessels, so it is easy to bleed. When palpating the patient's breasts, sometimes a cherry-sized lump can be found under the areola, which is soft, smooth and movable.

3. Breast cystic hyperplasia

It is more common in women of childbearing age. The nipple discharge of some patients is yellow-green, brown, bloody or colorless serous. This disease has two characteristics: one is that it manifests as periodic breast pain, which is more common or worsens before menstruation. Second, breast lumps are often multiple and can be seen on one side or both sides. They can also be limited to one part of the breast or dispersed throughout the breast. The lumps are nodular and of varying sizes, tough but not hard, not adhered to the skin, and have unclear boundaries with surrounding tissues. The lumps may shrink after menstruation.

4. Breast cancer

Some breast cancer patients have bright red or dark red nipple discharge, and sometimes clear water discharge that is colorless and transparent, occasionally sticky, and leaves no trace after discharge. The two peak incidence periods of this disease are 45 to 49 years old and 60 to 64 years old. Patients may accidentally discover a breast lump, which is usually located at the upper inner or outer limit, is painless, and gradually grows larger. In the late stage of lesions, orange peel-like skin changes and satellite nodules appear. The axillary lymph nodes are enlarged and hard, and fuse into clumps as the disease progresses.

treat

1. False discharge

When dealing with nipple discharge, you should first distinguish between true and false discharge. False discharge can be treated locally accordingly.

2. Treatment of true discharge

(1) Treatment of non-neoplastic discharge is often caused by mammary duct ectasia, cystic breast hyperplasia, etc. The former can be treated with drugs or surgery, and the latter can be treated with traditional Chinese medicine, drugs or surgery.

(2) Treatment of tumorous discharge is often caused by intraductal papilloma or intraductal papillary carcinoma. The former should undergo local segmental resection, while the latter should undergo radical mastectomy.