Why do breasts squeeze out water?

Some women will experience white or milky liquid leaking out of their nipples when they squeeze their nipples with their hands during pregnancy or breastfeeding. This symptom disappears after weaning. Some pregnant or breastfeeding women may experience discharge from one or both nipples, some of which may be brown, some may be bloody or coffee-colored. So why do these women's breasts squeeze out water? Let’s take a look together below.

1. Classification

1. Physiological discharge

In most cases, it occurs during pregnancy, lactation or after weaning. The discharge is sometimes unilateral and sometimes bilateral, with a small amount of discharge. The discharge is mostly white milk-like in color. The symptoms usually disappear with the end of pregnancy and lactation. In addition, nipple discharge may also occur in women before or after menopause or when they take certain medications, which is also a physiological phenomenon.

2. Pathological discharge

In addition to the normal secretion of milk during pregnancy and lactation, intermittent or continuous nipple discharge from one or more ducts on one or both sides, lasting from several months to several years, is pathological discharge. This discharge will be painful when touched and may cause lesions over time.

2. Symptoms

1. Symptoms of physiological discharge during pregnancy or after childbirth: A small amount of serous or milky discharge from the nipple. The discharge is mostly from multiple holes rather than a single hole. The discharge is usually caused by squeezing rather than by itself.

2. Symptoms of pathological discharge during non-lactation period: Pathological discharge is mostly caused by disease.

1) Inverted nipples, large amounts of breast secretions, improper secretion, early nipple discharge that is brown or grayish white and thick, etc., are mostly symptoms caused by mammary duct ectasia.

2) There are individual tiny lumps that look like small bayberries, and there is intermittent natural discharge from the breast and nipple. A few of the discharges are brown or yellow serous. Most of them are symptoms caused by intraductal papilloma.

3) Bloody discharge occurs, which may be bright red, coffee brown, light yellow, brown, etc. This type of discharge is a dangerous signal and should be viewed with high caution as it may be a symptom of breast cancer.

Treatment

1. Physiological discharge is not pathological and does not have much impact on the body, so women do not need to worry too much. In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, some pregnant women can squeeze out a small amount of light-colored colostrum from their breasts. Clean the discharge regularly, change underwear frequently, and take good care of your breasts.

2. Pathological discharge refers to nipple discharge during non-pregnancy and non-lactation periods. Based on the nature of the discharge, cytological examination, breast duct angiography, etc., it is determined whether the discharge is caused by a tumor and then specific treatment is given.

4. Prevention

1. Perform more self-examinations during pregnancy.

2. Women should take contraceptives and sedatives under the guidance of a doctor. Prevent nipple discharge caused by improper use of medications.

3. If nipple discharge other than that caused by physiological reasons, pregnancy or breastfeeding occurs, you should go to the hospital for further examination and treatment in time.

4. Pay attention to the combination of work and rest, strengthen your physical fitness, improve your immunity, exercise more, and eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.