Breast Discharge – Causes, Symptoms & Treatments

You might have heard about breast discharge, which is a common problem among those women who breastfeed their babies or not pregnant. This problem usually trouble women in their reproductive years. In women, nipple discharge normally does not indicate any kind of abnormal behavior. But if nipple discharge problem is faced by men then it can never be considered normal. Breast discharge may even trouble those women who have entered menopause phase of their life. Breast discharge may be yellow, bloody, clear watery, pink and multicolored. The fluid which is discharged by the breasts may be the milk or a fluid manufactured by a range of conditions.

It is also important to know that there are various types of breast discharge and their causes are different as well. If the breast discharge is milky then the most probable cause behind it is increase in prolactin hormone in the body. If the discharge from the breast is sticky then it generally indicates an infection. If there is blood in discharge then it may be an indicator of cancer, severe trauma and infection. When the discharge is yellow along with some blood then infection is doubted in most of the cases. If we talk about the symptoms of breast discharge then its occurrence is its main symptom.



It may occur in both or one of the breasts. Breast lumps and swelling in breasts may be experienced by some women who suffer from breast discharge. Fever and uneven menstrual periods are two other symptoms of breast discharge. Breast discharge which has no relation with any hormone is treated generally by duct excision. In most of the cases if duct excision is done in one of the breasts then a woman may continue to breastfeed her baby from other breast normally. In duct excision, affected tissue is removed from the breast. Duct excision does not cause much change in shape and texture of breast as the tissue which is removed from the breast is generally very small.