Performances of Breast Health

If there is no persistent abnormal discomfort and the structure and function are in a dynamic and stable state, it belongs to the category of health. There is no need to be overly obsessed with the so-called "standard form" and "perfect touch".

I have been in the breast clinic for almost 10 years, and the most common scene I have seen is girls coming in with their mobile phones in hand, saying that they found lumps in their breasts while taking a shower. After searching online, they thought they were going to have breast cancer, and their eyes were swollen from crying. In fact, many times the "hard lumps" you feel are just glands that are edematous and thickened due to the influence of hormones. In the past, many popular sciences would say that healthy breasts should be "soft and without lumps." This statement has actually been revised by many clinical guidelines at home and abroad. The breasts of women during the childbearing period are themselves composed of 15-20 glandular lobes. They will have a bumpy, granular or thickened feeling to the touch. Especially in the week before menstruation, estrogen levels increase, the glands are congested and edematous, and it is normal to feel lumpy. This was the case with the 23-year-old graduate student I treated last week. Before menstruation, the entire breast felt hard and painful. After the color ultrasound, there were no problems. After menstruation, it became soft to touch. Only hard lumps that have unclear boundaries, are fixed, and do not change with the menstrual cycle need to be vigilant.

After talking about the feel, let’s talk about the pain that everyone is most afraid of. In the past, everyone always thought that "breast pain is breast hyperplasia, and hyperplasia will become cancerous over time." This misunderstanding has deceived many people. Now the latest consensus of the International Society of Breastology has been made very clear: 90% of cyclic breast pain is physiological. What is cyclical? The pain before menstruation, pain after staying up late at night, and pain after quarreling with family members will be gone in two days. This kind of pain does not require special treatment at all. At most, it can be relieved by changing to comfortable wire-free underwear and drinking less coffee and milk tea. On the contrary, it is the kind of pain that is fixed in position, has nothing to do with menstrual mood, and continues to hurt for more than half a month without any improvement, so it needs to be checked. Last month, a 38-year-old patient was like this. He said that the pain in the fixed position of his left breast had been for almost a month, and it hurt even when he put on his underwear. It was found that the duct was dilated with chronic inflammation, and he took the symptomatic medicine for two weeks and it was cured.

Many people still worry about whether their breasts are bigger or smaller and whether there is something wrong with them. Let's put it this way, 80% of women have mild asymmetry in both breasts, just like the size of your left and right hands are different. As long as one side does not suddenly become larger in the past month or two, the skin becomes wrinkled like orange peel, or the nipple suddenly becomes indented and leaks fluid on its own, then it is completely fine. Oh, by the way, I want to mention here that many people like to squeeze their nipples when taking a shower, and they will panic when they squeeze out some milky white or transparent secretions. It is really not necessary. As long as it does not flow without squeezing, and the secretions are bloody or brown, it is basically normal. Don't squeeze indiscriminately and injure the duct.

Nowadays, many health care institutions outside say that "breast hyperplasia must be cleared, otherwise it will become cancerous." This statement is actually quite controversial. The mainstream Western medicine view is that there is no direct causal relationship between ordinary breast hyperplasia and breast cancer, and there is no need for dredging and massage. On the contrary, violent massage may pinch the acini, damage the ducts, and even cause inflammation in severe cases. However, some Chinese medicine practitioners believe that for severe hyperplasia and obvious swelling and pain caused by liver stagnation and qi stagnation, regular acupoint massage and traditional Chinese medicine conditioning can indeed relieve the discomfort. Everyone can decide this for themselves. If the pain is really uncomfortable, go to a regular hospital first to see a doctor, and don't just go to an institution for random massage.

Actually, breasts are really "emotional" organs. If you are more stressed or stay up late, they may have a temper tantrum for two days. You really don't need to scare yourself at the slightest sign of trouble. I also have mild hyperplasia during my annual physical examination. When I feel pain, I drink less iced coffee and go to bed early. It will be fine in two days. I really can’t worry about it. A breast ultrasound every year if you are under 35 years old, and a mammography target if you are over 40 years old. It is much more reliable than searching Baidu at home.