Nipple Discharge; When Is It Normal or Abnormal.

I must have mentioned quite several times that, it's not easy being a woman, and please do not argue with me because it isn't indeed (Smiles). When a nursing mother experiences nipple discharge, it is expected, but how do we describe the situation of a woman who isn't nursing and experiencing nipple discharge? Shouldn't that be a thing of concern? If you ask me, I will definitely say Yes, it should.

Image credit

What exactly is Nipple Discharge?

Nipple discharge describes a situation where fluid leaks out of the nipple, it could be either in one or both breasts. It is common in the late pregnancy phase and after childbirth.
Discharge from the nipple can happen for various reasons, in most cases it is simply a normal and harmless occurrence, but on the other hand, it can also be a symptom of a severe medical condition.

The first thing to be noted is that, if a male begins to have nipple discharge, then something is definitely wrong somewhere. It is completely abnormal for men to have nipple discharge. After stating the fact that, some cases of nipple discharge may be normal, I feel it is important for us to know when it is and when it is not.

Nipple discharge could be considered okay when; it is coming out of both breasts, it happens only after the nipple has been squeezed, it comes from several milk ducts, then it gives a clear, yellow, white, green, or brown color.
Certainly, the discharge is not okay at all if it comes out; bloody, just in one breast, comes out on its own without squeezing or touching, then it has accompanied symptoms like redness, breast pain, or changes made to the nipple.

In the case of a harmless breast discharge, it usually happens as a result of; medications like birth control pills, the presence of noncancerous cysts, stress, sexual arousal, injury to the breast, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and, hormonal imbalance.

These health conditions can cause abnormal nipple discharge; Breast infection, mammary duct ectasia, cancerous breast tumor, Paget's disease of the breast, papilloma, pituitary gland tumor, and serious underactive thyroid gland.

Of course, diagnosing if the discharge is a normal one or not should be done by a professional and not just some home guesses, and with a professional, it means a physical examination would be done and tests would be carried out. With these tests, there would be an identification of the underlying condition and what is causing the problem, which may include any of these, in some cases may be a combination of them too; Blood tests, Brain scans, laboratory analysis of the discharge, Surgical Excision, Ultrasound or Mammogram.

Breast cancer is highly dreaded, and nipple discharge could also be a sign indicating the presence of the issue. When a patient has a lump or mass accompanied by a discharge, then it could be a symptom of breast cancer.

In order to know the next step to take in the right direction, it is important that the underlying cause is revealed and treatment can then proceed from there.

References.

https://www.webmd.com/women/breast-nipple-discharge

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21014-nipple-discharge

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319539

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319539#when-to-see-a-doctor

https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/nipple-discharge

https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/women-s-health-issues/breast-disorders/nipple-discharge

---

---

---

Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free, please If do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.