While you may be little skeptical about changes in your breasts at times, you usually don’t heed to what they might indicate. Your breasts do indicate about your overall health and it is rather important to pay attention to what they might be trying to tell you. It is although true that your breasts undergo myriads of harmless changes, but you can’t just overlook changes that might indicate a serious health condition. Read on to know what changes you must watch out for.
Tami Prince, a gynecologist, explains that women must know what their breasts normally look and feel like, so that they can easily identify any change with time. At times, these changes might be benign, but it is quite possible that they are rather serious. Both ways, any such change that occurs warrants an immediate visit to your obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN). Your OB/GYN can further help you in figuring out the next steps.
7 Changes In Your Breasts That Women Must Watch Out For
According to experts, there are 7 things that might happen to your breasts and may signify a severe health condition.
1. Nipple Discharge:
A persistent, spontaneous discharge, which isn’t associated with pregnancy or breastfeeding or the one that arises from one duct must be checked for immediately.
This discharge might indicate an infection, benign breast lesion, cancer or could be due to the use of certain medications. In such a case, you must immediately talk to your gynecologist.
2. Inverted Nipples:
Inverted nipples or nipple retraction can actually be harmless. But, at times, they might indicate something more serious. As a matter of fact, many women have inverted nipples right from their birth in one or both their breasts.
Inverted nipples can be a sign of inflammatory breast cancer, especially if your breast is also bright red. Make sure to visit your gynecologist as soon as possible if you find something of that sort.
3. Dimpling In Your Breasts:
You should be aware how your boobs appear in order to spot dimpling. Normal breasts have a smoother appearance, but dimpling may be indicative of a serious health condition.
It can be both – either due to benign reasons like fat necrosis or a scarred tissue, or might be due to malign causes such as breast cancer. Your gynecologist would be able to figure out the exact cause of such breast dimpling.
4. Eczema:
If you have persistent eczema on your nipples, make sure to visit your gynecologist. A chronic history of eczema on your nipples could also indicate Paget’s disease if it occurs along with crusting and discharge.
5. Bleeding From Your Nipples:
Bleeding from your nipples is a serious symptom that shouldn’t be ignored. You should see your gynecologist immediately in such case.
A bloody nipple discharge is generally due to non-malignant intraductal papilloma. However, at times, it might also signify breast cancer if you also feel a lump in your breast.
6. Lumps In Your Breasts:
Even healthy boobs may feel lumpy in many women, and so, it is even more important for women to know what their boobs normally feel like.
If you experience a single lump, it needs to be evaluated soon as it might be a symptom of breast cancer. You must keep checking your breasts by yourself from time to time. If you feel an unusual lump, have a mammogram done regardless of your age.
7. Swelling In Your Breasts:
A swollen, tender or red breast might indicate inflammatory breast cancer, which is a much rare type of breast cancer. You may confuse it with common breast infection; hence, it is recommended to visit your gynecologist as soon as you experience breast swelling.
All the changes in your breasts might not necessarily mean that something is wrong, but it is always a good practice to see your gynecologist if you notice any unusual change in your breasts.
