Then in the nipple region, at the top of the chest from the outside, you can feel the ball or the seal. This is a fibroadenoma (a benign bundle of fibrous tissue bundles). Its appearance and development is caused by estrogens, whose level at this age is high. Fibroadenoma is distinctly separated from the surrounding tissue and does not cause painful sensations. Only a large fibroadenoma can lead to a change in the shape of the breast. With your fingers you will feel a round moving ball with a smooth surface. Its size can vary from pea to walnut, but most often the diameter does not exceed 1-3 cm. Fibroadenoma can appear in one mammary gland (in its upper outer part) or both. Sometimes in one breast there are several fibroadenomas. Usually they do not pose a threat, but you need to regularly check with a doctor. Ultrasound is a compulsory study at this age. It allows the doctor to examine the mammary glands of the patient. Ultrasound is painless, you do not need to prepare for it. It is better to spend it in the first half of the menstrual cycle, when the breast is not enlarged. Diseases of the breast in women, symptoms - the subject of the article.
During the ultrasound, you will need to lie on your back and put your hand under your head. In this position, the breast becomes flat, and the doctor can study everything well. He will spread the breast with a gel that improves the passage of ultrasonic waves. Then it will drive through the area under investigation a sensor connected to the computer. An image of the mammary gland tissue appears on the monitor. During the examination, the doctor may also examine the milk ducts. Therefore, ultrasound is recommended, first of all, for young women. It shows changes in the breast (even a few millimeters in size). Using ultrasound, it is easy to distinguish fibroadenoma from another type of tumor. If the ball is small and does not hurt, it's enough to examine your chest with your fingers monthly. Every half year you need to show a mammalog. If the size of the fibroadenoma exceeds 3 cm, it most likely interferes with the normal operation of the milk ducts. There is a risk that in the future it can cause neoplasms. Therefore, the doctor may decide to remove it. Unfortunately, its removal does not mean that it will not appear again. That is why it is so important to check the condition of the breast on a monthly basis.
Mastopathy
Between 30 and 40 years, the female body is often experiencing hormonal leaps. Most often this happens when the ovaries produce too much estrogen compared with progesterone. The organism reacts to these hormonal fluctuations by the excessive growth of the cells of the mammary glands. Then you can feel in the chest one or more irregular seals, pellets or small tumors. Such changes are called mastopathy (or dysplasia). They can appear in a certain part or all over the chest, in one or both in both. Breasts with mastopathic nodules feel like a bag of peas. As a rule, they do not cause painful sensations, but sometimes the pain worries a few days before the month, when the chest swells and becomes more sensitive. Unpleasant feelings occur with the onset of menstruation.
Mastopathy nodes
They do not need to be treated, but you need to undergo a regular physical examination. Cysts can develop in the expanded breast tissue. The doctor prescribes ultrasound and an analysis of the level of hormones produced by the ovaries, the pituitary gland and the thyroid gland at various phases of the cycle. If the analysis reveals deviations in the level of hormones from the norm, the doctor will choose the appropriate treatment. The purpose of treatment is to normalize the hormonal background. This may take several months, and sometimes several years. You will be given hormonal preparations for oral administration or a breast gel containing progesterone. Relieve the pain in the chest will help compress, for example, a towel soaked in cold water. The supporting bra will also reduce soreness. When mastopathy is extremely important, what kind of lifestyle we lead, especially our eating habits. It is necessary to limit the consumption of animal fats, salt, coffee, chocolate, sugary drinks - these products detain fluid in the body and increase painful sensations. But you can lean on vegetables and fruits, legumes and fish with a high content of omega-3 fats. After treatment, the nodes tend to resolve, but there is a high probability that they will reappear, therefore it is recommended to do ultrasound every six months.
Where cancer most often attacks
- 70% - a tumor found in the outer upper zone (so called quadrant) of the breast (closer to the shoulder), is most often a malignant formation.
- 15% - only a small percentage of tumors found in the lower outer quadrant are cancerous.
- 10% - every tenth change, revealed in the upper internal sector of the breast, needs cancer treatment.
- 5% - the inner lower quadrant - this is the safest place, the least developed cancer tumors.
Cysts appear
After forty, the glandular tissue in the breast begins to gradually disappear, but the level of sex hormones, estrogens and progesterone, can still vary in the body. In the chest can appear cysts. These are soft round balls resembling bubbles with a liquid that are mobile and elastic when pressed. Cysts are of different sizes: most often there is one, but sometimes there are several cysts in one breast. They cause pain if they press on the nerve endings. Pain in this case gives in the armpit.
A large and painful cyst.
You can get rid of it by piercing and removing the liquid with a syringe. This method immediately brings relief, and the site gradually resolves. The fluid obtained from the cyst should be examined for the presence of cancer cells, but the risk of the disease is low. The extreme method is the surgical removal of the cyst. Usually, it is resorted to if the cyst appears repeatedly in a short time. Cysts also occur in lactating women, if the milk passes badly because of the blockage of one of the milk ducts. The child can dissolve stagnation of milk and restore the patency of the duct, then the node itself will disappear. But if the cyst inflames, there will be a suppuration, which will have to be treated by a doctor.
Uzi and mammography
If the doctor by palpation reveals a cyst, he will designate an ultrasound and a mammogram. Mammography is an x-ray method for examining mammary glands. All women after 40 should have a mammogram every two years. The procedure is carried out in the first half of the menstrual cycle, when there are no painful sensations in the chest. The doctor puts each breast in turn on a special plate and presses down slightly on top of the other plate. So the breast becomes flatter, and the rays pass better through the glandular tissue. The doctor takes a picture. Then he sets the plates in an upright position and takes a picture in a vertical projection. It is important not to miss any part of the mammary glands. Then the radiologist decrypts the pictures and gives his conclusion.
It can be calcification
Ovaries produce less estrogen, and this, among other things, affects the appearance of the breast. The glandular tissue dissolves. Now the breast consists mainly of adipose tissue, and therefore looks more sluggish and flabby. After menopause, small accumulations of calcium (calcifications) may appear in the chest. Usually they are detected during a control mammogram. Between 50 and 60 years it is recommended to do it annually.
Two types of deposits
Calcifications can be of two kinds. Large deposits of calcium, which on the mammogram look like white spots, are called macrocalcifications. If the deposition is more like a white point, then it is a microcalcification. Neither is caused by calcium contained in food or washed out of bones. Macrocalcifications are associated with the natural process of aging and appear in most women after 50. They are not dangerous. Microcalcifications can also be harmless, but if a mammogram shows a large cluster of them in one area, then constant medical monitoring is necessary, since they can indicate precancerous changes.
Breast biopsy
This is a special study assigned by a doctor. There are several types of biopsies, but with microcalcifications, thick-needle biopsy is best. She's in the hospital. After anesthesia, a long needle is inserted into the test site of the breast, and the doctor uses a syringe to harvest a certain amount of tissue. Then a histological examination of the tissue under a microscope is carried out for the presence of cancer cells. If you get the required amount of tissue with a thick-needle biopsy hard, the doctor resorts to a so-called vacuum biopsy. It looks like a thick-needle, but 3mm needles and vacuum devices are used to extract a portion of calcium deposition. This biopsy is painless. In case of detection of cancer, you can immediately determine its type. This speeds up the onset of treatment and significantly increases its effectiveness.