The development of the female breast begins at puberty and is closely related to the ratio of hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and prolactin. In the ducts and lobules of the mammary gland, milk production begins already during pregnancy. On each of the nipples there are holes through which it comes out. If a different type of discharge appears from the mammary glands, then special attention must be paid to this.
Green highlights
Green discharge from the mammary glands when pressed may indicate the presence of pathological processes in the tissues of these organs. Leaving this symptom unattended, the patient can cause irreparable harm to her he alth. Medicine knows many factors that provoke the release of pathological secretions from the mammary glands, especially when pressed. Of course, independently determine their true causedifficult.
Description of pathology
Liquid from the breast can be released not only during pregnancy and lactation, but also after its completion, as well as in some serious pathologies, such as cancer, mastitis, mastopathy, diseases of hormone-producing body structures.
Green discharge from the mammary glands when pressed is a dangerous symptom, as this color indicates the presence of pus in them. The secret can also appear randomly. If you have this symptom, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Causes of this pathology
If green discharge from the mammary glands appears when pressed, this may be due to some pathological processes. These include the following diseases:
- Intraductal papilloma. In this case, the development of a neoplasm in the lactiferous duct of the gland is observed. Papillomas are single and multiple. Green-yellow discharge from the chest is accompanied by the presence of small seals that are easily felt on palpation.
- Ectasia, when the milky channels expand with the subsequent development of an inflammatory process in one of them. As a result of this, there is an accumulation of thick sticky exudate with purulent elements. The main reason for this pathology is hormonal imbalance.
- Cyst on the ovary. With this disease, discharge from the gland may have a dark green color. Additional symptoms include painsexual intercourse, menstrual irregularities, feeling of pain in the lower abdomen.
- Mastopathy. With this pathology, green discharge from the mammary glands occurs with pressure of a mucous nature. Mastopathy, as a rule, is accompanied by the growth of connective tissues in the chest. The patient is experiencing pain. In 96% of cases, the cause of green discharge lies precisely in this disease.
- Breast cancer. With a tumor process of a malignant nature, brown or green discharge from the nipples appears when you press them, and blood may also be released. A type of malignant disease is Paget's disease, in which the nipples are involved in the pathological process. Allocations in this case are distinguished by a dark green color. A woman has itching and peeling of the skin in the area of the nipple, which is drawn inward.
- Abscess of the gland, which is characterized by the development of tissue inflammation, accompanied by the formation of purulent contents in them.
Any of the above abnormalities require mandatory treatment.
Discharge without smell
Green, odorless discharge from the chest is characteristic of such pathologies as mastopathy and ovarian cyst. In other cases, they contain elements of pus, which gives them a specific smell.
Transparent highlights with a green tint
When the secret from the nipples does not have a pronounced green color, but is characterized by a slightly greenish tint andtransparency, then in this case we can talk about the following reasons for this pathological phenomenon:
- infectious or inflammatory lesions of the ovaries;
- microtrauma or damage to the mammary glands;
- alcohol abuse, smoking;
- abortion;
- disruption of the nervous system (prolonged stress, depression).
The appearance of green discharge from the chest when pressed is a symptom that in any case indicates any abnormalities, and most often such disorders relate to the reproductive system.
When Pregnant
In certain cases, green breast discharge occurs in women during pregnancy. In this case, the release of colostrum is considered a normal option. However, such a secret is distinguished by a white or cream color. Dark green discharge from the chest indicates the pathologies described above. Pregnant patients need to carefully monitor their he alth, since various pathological processes can adversely affect the development of the fetus or even provoke spontaneous miscarriage.
Purulent mastitis
This is an inflammatory pathology of the mammary glands with damage to the interstitial or glandular tissue. This disease is manifested by hyperthermia, swelling and soreness of tissues, chills, the formation of cavities in the chest with pus. The disease develops as a result of intensive reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms in the tissues of the gland. In most cases, inflammation provokes Staphylococcus aureus. The causative agents can also bePseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, streptococci, tuberculosis mycobacteria, enterobacteria. The main complaints of the patients are that their chest hurts and the temperature rises. Green discharge from the breast also occurs when pressure is applied.
Predisposing factors
A necessary condition for the occurrence of a purulent process is the presence of some predisposing factors:
- stagnation of milk in the gland;
- injuries;
- rough pumping (squeezing milk);
- breast disease;
- presence of an infectious focus.
Non-lactational varieties of purulent mastitis are often found in the presence of external factors, which are burns and chest injuries, purulent-inflammatory processes in the subcutaneous tissue and skin (carbuncles, boils). The disease can also occur after surgical interventions to correct the shape of the breast.
Mastopathy
This pathology in most cases is the cause of dark green discharge from the chest. However, this is not the only symptom of the disease. In different cases, signs can be expressed in different ways. In some women, symptoms appear already in the initial stages of the pathological process, while others begin to experience discomfort only when the disease is at an advanced stage. The clinical picture is different in different forms of this disease. Mastopathy is diffuse and nodular, but in both forms, discharge from the mammary glands is observed. Oftenpatients confuse this disease with signs of premenstrual syndrome.
Main manifestations
The main manifestations of mastopathy include:
- green gland discharge;
- bleeding (at advanced stages);
- aching, dull pain before the onset of menstruation;
- breast swelling;
- seals that can be detected on palpation;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
Mastopathy is a change in the tissue of the gland of a benign nature, which is directly dependent on neurohumoral regulation. This means that the factors in the development of this disease are both pathologies caused by impaired functioning of the nervous regulation (neurosis, stress, depression), as well as changes in the hormonal balance and homeostasis of the body.
Cancer
Breast cancer is the presence of a malignant neoplasm in it. Local manifestations of this disease are: a change in the shape of the gland, retraction of the nipple, bloody or green discharge from the chest in women, wrinkling of the skin, palpation of nodules, seals, enlargement of the axillary or supraclavicular lymph nodes. In the early stages of the pathological process, surgical treatment in combination with chemotherapy is most effective. In the later stages of the disease, metastasis of atypical cells to various organs develops.
Characteristic signs of cancer
Manifestations of the disease are significantly different from oncologyother forms in that they make it possible to suspect the development of a malignant process early. Breast cancer is characterized by:
- discharge of blood or pathological secretions from the nipple, mostly green or gray;
- appearance of crusts or scales on the areola or nipple, the formation of superficial erosion or cracks in the nipple area;
- increase the affected area;
- formation of a painless seal in the depths of the mammary gland;
- retraction and deepening of the nipple;
- in 85% of cases, women have no pain, sometimes there is itching or tingling in the chest.
Actinomycosis
This disease is characterized by a chronic specific lesion of the mammary glands, it is a form of visceral mycosis that occurs with the formation of abscesses and granulomas. The clinic of actinomycosis is characterized by the formation of individual nodes, then abscesses, which are opened with the development of long-term non-healing fistulas. In mammology, this disease is quite rare - approximately 0.05-0.1% of all cases of inflammatory pathologies of the mammary glands. Attribution of the disease to the group of mycoses is very conditional; it is based on the morphological similarity of the infectious agent with fungi and the course characteristic of mycotic lesions. The causative agents of this pathological process are actinomycetes (radiant fungi), which are bacterial cells. Actinomycosis affects one or both glands, accompanied by the formation of multiple or single abscesses.
BIn most cases, patients note the occurrence of small hyperemic nodules in the nipple area, which later transform into painful dense infiltrates, and then into abscesses. The skin above them becomes purple. In the area of the opened abscesses of the gland, fistulous passages are formed, from which pus periodically comes out. Along with these manifestations, patients are often concerned about discharge from the nipples when pressed - they often have a greenish color and may contain pus. The woman has chest pain and sometimes a fever.
Treatment
There is only one way to get rid of green discharge from the chest when pressed - to eliminate the underlying disease. Treatment is prescribed only by a specialist, in no case should you self-medicate.
If the cause of such discharge was mastopathy, then in the initial stages the disease is treated with medication. Drugs are prescribed depending on the cause of mastopathy. If it is hypovitaminosis, it is recommended to take vitamin-mineral complexes, for problems with the thyroid gland - iodine, as well as some homeopathic remedies, enzyme medicines, phytotherapeutic drugs. Treatment of the disease with the use of hormonal medications is necessary only if the patient has hormonal imbalances.
If the chest hurts, and there are green discharges, drugs that reduce the effect of hormones on the gland ("Toremifen", "Tamoxifen") may be prescribed. To normalize the cycle of menstruation, oral contraceptives are used, which are selected taking into account the characteristics of the hormonal status. For the treatment of functional disorders, agents that regulate the synthesis of thyrohormones are used. Among other things, topical progesterone preparations are widely used, which help to reduce the proliferation of connective tissues and epithelial cells and relieve swelling.
If green discharge from the nipples is provoked by an infectious disease, such as mastitis, then in this case the woman is prescribed intensive therapy with antibacterial drugs, active pumping of the contents of the mammary gland, massage (after the elimination of the acute process).
For breast cancer, radiation and chemotherapy are performed, in advanced cases, these therapeutic techniques are combined with surgical tactics for treating the underlying disease.
