Discharge from the mammary glands: with pressure, during and outside of pregnancy

Discharge from the mammary glands (when pressed or spontaneously) causes discomfort and a feeling of anxiety. This phenomenon can be caused by both natural physiological processes and pathology. Discharge from the breast can occur on its own or with pressure, during or after lactation. These factors play an important role and allow the doctor to determine the cause of the problem.

The main thing is to promptly identify dangerous symptoms that require medical intervention.

In any case, you should not engage in self-diagnosis and self-medication. If you have any suspicions, consult your doctor.

Discharge from the mammary glands when pressed

In most cases, discharge is observed due to physical pressure on the chest. During pregnancy and lactation, discharge from the mammary gland when pressed is considered normal if it is not accompanied by acute pain, increased body temperature and blood. Also, do not worry if secretions are released after nipple stimulation. As excitation increases, the gland begins to work more actively. In other cases, you need to contact a specialist who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe effective therapy. The main causes of unpleasant symptoms are the following diseases:

Oncology. A malignant tumor in the mammary gland causes discomfort or pain in the breasts, redness of the skin, changes in the shape of the nipples and bloody discharge.
Intraductal papilloma. It is a benign formation arising from the epithelium of the mammary gland. Among the main symptoms, it is worth noting painful sensations on palpation, as well as clear, white, green or yellow discharge mixed with blood.
Hormonal disbalance. This disorder occurs due to pregnancy or taking contraceptives. The discharge may be clear or in the form of colostrum.
Mastitis. It is an acute inflammatory process in the mammary gland, which in most cases is provoked by a staphylococcal infection. From the first days of the disease, the patient feels unwell, fever and pain in the breast area. If left untreated, purulent discharge with a greenish tint may appear.
Ectasia of the milk ducts. This is an age-related or pathological expansion of the milk ducts, accompanied by an inflammatory process, pain, itching and dark green discharge from the mammary glands when pressed.

These diseases can progress quickly and move into a more severe stage. Effective treatment at the initial stage will avoid serious consequences.

Discharge during pregnancy

Changes in the breasts begin to occur starting in early pregnancy. In addition to an increase in size and increased sensitivity, discharge may appear. This is a natural process.

The mammary glands are actively preparing for lactation and producing colostrum. This is a yellow-tinged liquid that appears in all women at different stages of pregnancy. If the discharge is bloody or accompanied by painful sensations, you should consult a specialist to rule out possible health problems.

Fibrocystic mastopathy

The condition causes chest pain, especially intense in the second phase of the menstrual cycle. A yellow or transparent liquid appears from the nipples and disappears after menstruation. The discharge intensifies if you put pressure on the gland or wear tight underwear. What does the color indicate?

greenish substance – infection has occurred;
brown, bright bloody - indicate the growth of a malignant tumor.

With mastopathy, it is necessary to regularly monitor the course of the disease to avoid dangerous consequences.

Discharge outside of pregnancy

In the absence of pregnancy, discharge can appear for many reasons. The main ones are hormonal disorders, injuries, benign and malignant formations, as well as inflammatory processes. In any of these cases, qualified treatment is required. To establish a diagnosis, the doctor conducts an examination, prescribes tests and other types of examination. Self-medication can lead to deterioration of well-being and also jeopardize the health and life of the patient.

Diagnostic measures

Palpation of the mammary glands is one of the methods for diagnosing the disease.
At the initial stage of diagnosis, the doctor palpates the breast, specifying the following details:

presence and location of seals;
deformations and their nature;
the amount of secret released when pressed and its properties;
nature of skin changes;
condition of the lymph nodes;
expansion of subcutaneous vessels;
general condition of the patient’s body.

Based on complaints and the results of a visual examination, a primary diagnosis can be established. To confirm or refute it, the patient may be referred for the following studies:

Blood test for tumor markers and hormones, general blood test.
Cytological examination of breast tissue.
Ultrasound examination of the mammary glands to detect benign tumors.
Computed tomography to clarify the localization of tumors and the extent of their spread.
Mammography, which allows to identify tumor processes and other pathological conditions of the mammary glands.
Magnetic resonance imaging, indicating the cause of discharge from the chest, regardless of its quantity and nature.

Discharge from the chest with purulent contents is a sign of a number of diseases. Therefore, it is very important to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis to clarify the nature of the pathological process in each specific case. Only after this can the doctor begin to develop a treatment course.

Dangerous symptoms

Discharge from the chest is always accompanied by certain symptoms and characteristics. This allows you to make a preliminary diagnosis and determine a further diagnostic plan. Among the dangerous symptoms it is worth highlighting:

Bloody issues. They are a sign of an acute inflammatory process, trauma, as well as malignant and benign formations.
Increased temperature, enlarged mammary glands and purulent discharge are signs of mastitis.
Yellow or green discharge may be a consequence of fibrocystic mastopathy.

Malignant formation

With breast cancer, viscous bloody clots appear, less often brown ones. They leak from one breast, where there is affected tissue. Additional symptoms:

the skin of the breast peels off, turns red, and becomes significantly thicker;
local increase in gland temperature;
lymph nodes enlarge;
upon palpation, a formation with uneven contours is felt;
nipple retraction.

Pain is a symptom that appears too late in cancer, so you should undergo examinations on time.

Natural and non-hazardous discharge

There are a number of situations when discharge from the mammary glands is a natural physiological process that does not pose a threat to health. These include:

Colostrum during pregnancy. The main function of the mammary glands is to produce milk to feed the baby. During pregnancy, the hormone prolactin is activated, which provokes the appearance of a special secretion in the alveoli - colostrum. It has a thick structure and is yellow in color.
Small transparent discharge from the mammary glands when pressed (stimulating the nipples) may be a secretion. Any gland in the human body secretes a secretion, the mammary glands are no exception.

Thus, normal discharge includes colostrum during pregnancy and the appearance of clear liquid when the nipples are stimulated. In other cases, you should immediately consult a doctor to identify the problem and undergo treatment.

Galactorrhea

A phenomenon in which colostrum or milk is released randomly during the period of non-pregnancy, after the completion of the lactation process for several months. The reason is excess prolactin in the blood, sometimes observed in men. Provoking factors:

pituitary tumor;
trauma to the hypothalamus, the occurrence of a neoplasm;
diseases of the ovaries, thyroid gland, adrenal glands;
liver or kidney failure;
severe stress.

Galactorrhea of idiopathic origin - a clear or white liquid similar to milk is secreted, but the cause of its appearance cannot be determined. The pathology causes damage to the entire female body - the menstrual cycle is disrupted, hair on the body and face grows rapidly, acne appears, and libido disappears.

Treatment methods

Treatment tactics are determined by the doctor after examination
. In order to completely eliminate discharge with purulent contents from the mammary glands, it is necessary to complete a full course of treatment prescribed after diagnosing the underlying disease. Otherwise, the appearance of purulent secretion will recur after a short time, and the pathological process may become chronic and cause the development of breast cancer.

The main treatment options for purulent discharge are divided into three groups - conservative, surgical or puncture, which involves pumping out the purulent contents. The age and condition of the patient’s body, the neglect of the pathological process, the presence of other diseases and other clinical reasons are taken into account.

Certain diseases, the symptom of which is the appearance of purulent discharge from the chest, require specific treatment methods:

For ectasia, antibacterial therapy is carried out or the method of excision of the milk canal with identified pathology is used.
If there is an inflammatory process with the formation of an abscess, the latter is opened, after which the patient is prescribed a course of anti-inflammatory drugs.
For mastitis, the patient is prescribed a conservative course of treatment or undergoes surgery.
In Paget's disease, either part of the breast with the tumor or the entire breast is removed.

For intraductal papilloma, the only treatment option is excision of the affected tissue followed by a biopsy to clarify the nature of the neoplasm.

Characteristic signs of cancer

The manifestations of the disease differ significantly from other forms of oncology in that they allow early suspicion of the development of a malignant process. Breast cancer is characterized by:

discharge of blood or pathological secretion from the nipple, predominantly green or gray in color;
the appearance of crusts or scales on the areola or nipple, the formation of superficial erosion or cracks in the nipple area;
increase in the affected area;
formation of a painless lump deep in the mammary gland;
retraction and deepening of the nipple;
in 85% of cases, women have no pain, sometimes there is itching or tingling in the chest.

Main manifestations

The main manifestations of mastopathy include:

green discharge from the glands;
spotting (in advanced stages);
aching, dull pain before the onset of menstruation;
breast swelling;
compactions that can be detected upon palpation;
increase in the size of lymph nodes.

Mastopathy is a benign change in gland tissue that is directly dependent on neurohumoral regulation. This means that the factors in the development of this disease are both pathologies caused by disturbances in the functioning of nervous regulation (neuroses, stress, depression), and changes in the hormonal balance and homeostasis of the body.