The first thing that comes to mind for most people when referring to breast disease, it is likely to breast cancer. However, there are many other diseases breast - less dangerous but can cause considerable discomfort a woman.

Benign breast

Seals or nodules in the breast in particular often appear in the nipple, areola and the upper outer side of the chest. Most often they appear in middle-aged women - although this may be due to the fact that at this time of the nodules become more visible. After menopause, unless a woman is not using hormone replacement therapy, benign seals disappear.

Typically, these nodules easiest to detect the touch before menstruation due to accumulation of the additional volume of fluid in the breast tissue. Therefore, women are advised to conduct an independent examination of the chest shortly before menstruation. Although seals in the chest The seal in the chest - a reason to turn to mammologu   in most cases are benign, you must undergo a medical examination to verify this.

Cysts in the breast

Cyst - a cavity in the tissue filled with liquid. The most common cysts occur in women aged between 35 and 50 years. They often enlarge and become painful just before the menstrual period. Usually, cysts form in both breasts. Some of them are so small that they can not feel your fingers; rarely found cyst diameter greater than five centimeters. Cyst can be detected by ultrasound. When it is detected, doctors often use drainage - withdrawal of fluid from the cyst with a thin needle. If it turns out that the cyst is solid, you may need a biopsy - a procedure during which the sample is taken growths in breast tissue for further laboratory analysis.

Adiponecrosis

Fat necrosis - a condition in which the chest appear painless solid education, which are fragments of adipose tissue. This violation is particularly characteristic of obese women with very large breasts. Often necrosis of adipose tissue is a reaction to trauma, even minor.

Fibroadenoma

Fibroadenoma - a benign tumor that consists of both a structural and from glandular tissue. Typically, these seals are painless and the woman finds their own. Fibroadenoma - the most common type of cancer in women younger than 30 years. It does not become malignant, but may increase during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Galactorrhea

Galactorrhea - a condition in which a woman has not produced milk during lactation. Galactorrhea occurs in men, but much less frequently. Its causes may be hormonal imbalance, use of certain drugs, such as antidepressants and / or blood thinners; pregnancy, pituitary tumor, and other factors. Galactorrhea often goes away on its own.

Hyperplasia

Recent studies have shown that certain very specific changes increase the risk of breast cancer Breast cancer: what every woman needs to know   among women. These changes include excessive cell growth or hyperplasia. Approximately 5% of benign tumor biopsy A benign tumor - is not always safe   shows and hyperplasia Hyperplasia - do not be afraid And the presence of abnormal cells. Such cells can be detected in fractions of breast cancer (atypical lobular hyperplasia) or in the ducts (ductal hyperplasia, atypical). Identification hyperplasia somewhat increases the risk of developing breast cancer. It can be assigned to a surgery for the removal of abnormal cells. In any case, the patient will need to undergo regular medical examinations.

Breast size is largely determined by the level of hormonal background. All the transformations that occur with breast during a woman's life, due to estrogens, female hormones Female hormones: because you - a woman! .

What determines the size of the breast

The first serious change start at about 10-11 years, and the period of active growth accounted for 13-15 years. At the same age it is natural to assume that the swelling and pain in the chest before menses. Adults outlines the chest takes the age of 16-17. However, up to twenty years, the size of the breast may slightly increase.

On the breast size to a large extent affects the amount of fat tissue. That is the amount of adipose tissue and different breast, and the structure of the breast The structure of the human mammary gland   the same for all women, so breast size has no effect on lactation. Even women with breasts the size zero, which practically no adipose tissue, can breastfeed. In addition, the final breast size is determined only after the first pregnancy, because the milk-producing cells and milk ducts in the third trimester of pregnancy begin to grow rapidly.

Breast-feeding and

However, breast size does affect breastfeeding Breast-feeding: feed - and no nails!   First, the child of women with large breasts are often difficult to adapt to the feeding, because it simply does not fit the areola into his tiny mouth .  This problem is usually disappears when the child is a little older .  Experts recommend that in the first weeks of the pump to suck the milk and feed the baby from a bottle .  Second, studies have shown that the capacity of individual breast and does not depend on the size, i.e. small breast milk can intrude more than most .  Breast milk produced constantly, and it's going between feedings in the milk ducts .  During feeding the child usually uses about 70-80% of the milk accumulated in the breast .  Scientists have found that some women breast capacity three times larger than the other, and yet they both produce the same amount of milk within twenty-four hours .  In general, it is logical to assume that the larger the breast, the greater its capacity, but the researchers say that breast size is not always a sign of good lactation .

In practice, this means that women with small breasts should be a capacity to feed the baby more often, and that the child is using less milk per feeding. Women with large breasts may be a capacity to give the baby more milk per feeding, so they can bring the baby at the breast less. This once again confirms the need for feeding in response to the signs of readiness for sucking, ie "Feeding on demand" when the frequency of breastfeeding and time determined by the needs of the child, not the guidance or advice of a pediatrician grandmother.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and weaning

During pregnancy, breast grows and increases in size. This is due to the growth and development of the mammary glands. Oddly enough, but this time the fat tissue gets smaller - it displace growing glandular tissue. Much darker areola, breast and begin to produce colostrum, the predecessor of milk.

Breast size reaches the "peak" of about three to five days after birth, when the normal milk production. At this time, most women feel an increase (swell) the breast, but it takes place in a few days. After breastfeeding is normal, breast size will change slightly for a while (the chest is reduced when the child is expressing her milk, and increases when milk accumulates in the chest, filling it).

Once you have stopped breastfeeding and breast milk is no longer needed, there is atrophy or dry breasts. Accordingly, the breast size decreases. If weaning happened quickly, reducing the size can be quite noticeable. However, this metamorphosis of the breast does not end there. Approximately six months after weaning is reduced adipose tissue. With the gradual weaning breast changes subtly as the restoration of fat tissue occurs against feeding. So after pregnancy and breast-feeding chest often becomes same size, but its shape can be changed (breasts sag a bit). However, in rare cases the size of breast feeding after delivery and, conversely, decreases.