Breast health symptoms

There is no unified standardized template for healthy breasts. There are only three core judgment criteria: no organic pathological changes, no intolerable discomfort symptoms, long-term stable status without sudden abnormalities, and the remaining differences in size, shape, and touch are basically normal individual fluctuations, so there is no need to be overly anxious.

Let’s talk about the appearance that is easiest for everyone to observe first. A lot of popular science on the Internet says that healthy breasts must be symmetrical, round and straight, but this is actually only half right - if your breasts have always been larger on the left and smaller on the right, a little flaring, or even your nipples are naturally slightly inverted, that is completely normal individual difference and is not a problem at all. I met a 24-year-old girl before who needed a physical examination when she first started working. The day before, I measured her breasts at home and found that her left breast was about one cup bigger than her right breast. She was so scared that she stayed up all night. She went for an ultrasound and found out nothing happened. When I asked her, I found out that she had always had a bigger left breast since she was a child, but she had never measured her breasts on purpose before. She was so scared of herself. But if it has always been symmetrical before, but within three months one side suddenly grows a cup, or if the nipple is suddenly indented and the skin is wrinkled like orange peel, then you should be vigilant. This is an abnormal sign. Oh, by the way, there are still many people who are confused about "is sagging breasts unhealthy?" To be honest, as long as you don't suddenly have severe sagging after breastfeeding, or have abnormal sagging caused by losing dozens of pounds in a short period of time, normal sagging caused by aging, breastfeeding, or even wearing underwear with insufficient support for a long time are all physiological changes and have nothing to do with health. Don't be PUAed by the marketing account "Standing tall is healthy".

Many people are nervous when it comes to touch. I have seen too many people touch randomly at home, mistaking normal glands for nodules. There was a little girl in 1998 who felt a "hard lump" at home. She cried all night and came to register. As a result, after an ultrasound was done, there was no problem. It was just that her glands were relatively dense and felt lumpy to the touch. She was scared to death. In fact, normal breasts feel a little tough and may have granular or cord-like tissue. Especially a week before menstruation, the glands are congested and edematous, making them harder to touch and a little tender. These are physiological manifestations, not diseases. Of course, if it feels like a hard lump that is fixed, hard to push, painless, and has very irregular edges, then you should check it out quickly whenever you find it. This is a real danger signal.

Let’s talk about the issue of pain, which is also the most controversial. The general view of Western medicine is that as long as it is not persistent pain without triggers or associated radiating pain in the shoulders and back, most periodic premenstrual pain and tingling pain during ovulation are caused by normal hormone fluctuations and do not require special intervention. They can basically be relieved by staying up late and being less angry. ； However, according to traditional Chinese medicine, if premenstrual swelling and pain lasts for more than 3 days and cannot even be touched, it is often a symptom of liver qi stagnation. Although it is not considered an organic disease, it can also be improved by adjusting work and rest and dredging the meridians. Both views are actually correct. It just depends on which direction you accept more intervention. There is no need to argue about right or wrong.

Oh, by the way, there are also many people asking about nipple discharge. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have just weaned for a year or two, you will have a small amount of milky white and transparent discharge when squeezing. This is completely normal. Don't squeeze indiscriminately. The more you squeeze, the more you squeeze, the more the discharge will increase. But if you are not pregnant and not breastfeeding, and you suddenly have bloody, brown discharge, even if it is just a little bit, you should go for a checkup quickly. You should be alert to the lesions in the ducts and don't delay.

When I follow up, I often tell the girls who come for physical examinations that you really don’t need to compare yourself to “perfect and healthy breasts” from online posts every day. Everyone’s body is unique. You just need to find out your “baseline status” - for example, if you have been bloated for 2 days before menstruation, there are small particles when you touch it, and the left side of your breast is a little larger than the right, then this is your “normal” and don’t panic. Only when the condition you are familiar with suddenly changes, for example, it was fine for 2 days before, but it suddenly hurts for 7 days this month, or the small particles that you felt before suddenly become larger and harder, that is the signal that you need to check it out. Of course, don’t be lazy about annual breast ultrasound, especially for girls with a family history of breast cancer. Early screening is always more useful than guessing, right?