Lump on one side of breast during lactation

Breast health is very important for women during lactation, because the quality of milk is directly determined by the breast health of women at this time. Breast milk is also an important food for the healthy growth of babies. For example, women’s emotions and the presence of lumps in the breasts can affect the health of breast milk. Many breastfeeding mothers find that there is a lump on one side of their breast. So what is the cause of the lump in the breast of the mother?

Causes of breast lumps during lactation

1. Have you emptied the milk during breastfeeding? Generally, some people fail to empty the milk in time, which causes milk accumulation and formation of lumps. In this case, you must apply hot compresses and find ways to soften the milk lumps and discharge them to prevent them from clogging the mammary ducts. However, a small number of breast lumps may be space-occupying lesions in the breast.

2. Breast hyperplasia is a common gynecological disease. The early symptoms of breast hyperplasia are single or multiple growths of lumps in different parts of the breast. The lumps are soft in texture, have unclear boundaries, are movable, and are often accompanied by varying degrees of pain. The early symptoms of breast hyperplasia are enlargement of the lump and aggravation of pain, especially before menstruation, after fatigue, or when there are emotional fluctuations such as anger (called qi stagnation in traditional Chinese medicine). After menstruation, the lump will significantly shrink and the pain will be relieved. The pain is usually distending and rarely stabbing.

3. Consider the lump caused by milk stasis.

The causes of milk stasis include: nipple hypoplasia (too small or inverted) interfering with breastfeeding; too much milk or the baby sucking too little milk, resulting in the milk not being completely emptied; milk duct blockage affecting milk discharge.

You can use hot water for hot compresses and local massage. After breastfeeding your baby, you can use a breast pump to help you express milk and try to express as much milk as possible. If the lump does not go away, or if fever or unbearable pain occurs, you need to go to the hospital and receive timely treatment under the guidance of a doctor to avoid mastitis.