Can I squeeze out white discharge from my nipples when I am not pregnant?

Women's breasts are the key to feeding the next generation, but some female friends have fuller breasts. At this time, female friends may think that pregnancy will cause fuller breasts and that there will be milk in the breasts. However, even during pregnancy, there is a small amount of milk in the breasts. At this time, we can squeeze out white secretions when we squeeze the breasts. This is a normal physiological phenomenon, and secretions of other colors need to be taken seriously.

Nipple discharge: Be careful of these symptoms

(1) Milky sample. Most of them are physiological, such as in the immediate period after weaning or miscarriage, and are not a manifestation of cancer.

(2) Purulent discharge, mostly caused by duct ectasia and plasma cell mastitis.

(3) Pale yellow discharge is the most common type of discharge and is seen in almost all breast diseases, with hyperplasia of the breast being the most common. Some of them are intraductal papilloma or breast cancer. Therefore, this requires vigilance.

(4) Bloody discharge, which may be bright red, brown, light yellow, brown, etc. This type of discharge is a dangerous signal and should be viewed with high vigilance. 50% to 75% of these discharges are intraductal papilloma and 15% are breast cancer. If bloody discharge occurs after menopause, 75% of the time it is breast cancer.

(5) Clear water overflow, colorless and transparent, occasionally sticky, leaving no trace after overflow. This discharge may be a sign of breast cancer and should be further investigated.

What diseases are associated with nipple discharge?

1. Breast abscess

It is common in lactating women, with sticky, purulent discharge from infected ducts, accompanied by symptoms such as high fever, chills, breast pain, redness, swelling, tenderness, palpable nodules or fluctuations, and may also cause inverted nipples.

2. Mammary duct ectasia

The first symptom of this disease is nipple discharge. The discharge is mostly brown in color, a few are bloody and viscous, and are often spontaneous. It is common in non-lactating women over 40 years old or menopausal women. Examination of the discharge can show a large number of plasma cells and lymphocytes but no tumor cells.

3. Intraductal papilloma

This disease is more common in people aged 40 to 50 years old. 75% of the tumors occur in the area near the nipple. The tumors are very small, pedunculated and villous, and have many thin-walled blood vessels, so they are prone to bleeding. Laboratory examination can find tumor cells in the discharge. Sometimes, when patients carefully palpate their breasts, they may find a cherry-sized lump under the areola, which is soft, smooth, and movable. Breast pain may also occur.

4. 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, and laboratory tests show no tumor cells in the discharge. The two main characteristics of this disease are: one is the periodic distension and pain of the breast, which increases or decreases with menstrual changes; the other is the breast lumps, which vary in size, are tough but not hard, and have no adhesion to the skin.

5. Breast cancer

Some breast cancer patients have bright red or dark red nipple discharge, and sometimes clear water discharge, which is colorless and transparent, occasionally sticky, and leaves no trace after the discharge. Cancer cells may be found in the discharge through laboratory tests. The breast skin may also show dimples, orange peel-like changes, changes in breast shape, asymmetry and other symptoms. Axillary lymph node enlargement and breast pain may also occur. It should be noted that when nipple discharge is accompanied by a palpable breast mass, the incidence of breast cancer can be as high as 60%-70%.

According to statistics, 90% of patients with nipple discharge have benign lesions, the most common cause of which is intraductal papilloma, which is a precancerous lesion of breast cancer. Therefore, nipple discharge must be taken seriously. If the examination and treatment of this disease are neglected, it will pose a threat to breast health and even life health.

What tests should be done for nipple discharge?

1. Laboratory examination

(1) Fluid cytology examination Fluid cytology examination is simple and convenient. It can detect breast cancer at an early stage and is a diagnostic method that is easily accepted by patients.

(2) Fine needle aspiration cytology examination of breast masses: For patients with nipple discharge and breast masses, the correct diagnosis rate of fine needle aspiration cytology for breast cancer can reach 96%, while the correct diagnosis rate for benign diseases of nipple discharge is lower.

(3) Biopsy is the most reliable method to confirm the cause of nipple discharge, especially for early-stage microtumors, which require further diagnosis. If a puncture biopsy can be performed based on imaging localization, the diagnosis rate can be improved.

2. Other auxiliary examinations

(1) Near-infrared breast scanning: This method has a positive diagnostic rate of 80% to 90% for discharge caused by areolar duct diseases.

(2) Ultrasound examination: This method has an 80% to 90% accuracy rate in diagnosing the cause of benign breast diseases. Ultrasound examination can reveal enlarged milk ducts, very small cysts, and sometimes intraductal papilloma or filling defects.

(3) Selective breast ductography has great diagnostic value for nipple discharge and benign and malignant breast diseases, especially for patients with nipple discharge but no lumps or other signs on physical examination, or those with negative results in other examinations. Selective breast ductography can clarify the location, nature and extent of discharge before surgery.