Tips for breast problems

The female breast starts to transform during the period of puberty. Oestrogen, progesterone, growth hormone, insulin, thyroxine, prolactin and cortisol hormones assist in the development and growth of the breast. In the life span of a woman she experiences many transformations regarding the shape and size of her breast.
During puberty, due to hormonal changes, a female may feel sudden pain in her breast which is not a matter to worry. Taking a few pain killers and using well fitting brassier may solve this problem. If any female experiences the growth of breast before 8 years of age or if any female does not experience the growth of breast after 14 years of age, she should consult with a doctor.
Fibrocystic disease is also related to menstruation. This is a benign condition, it is not a cancer. In this case, a female feels some painful lump in the breast. Generally these types of symptoms are reduced after the menopause.
After delivery, if the mother feeds the child with only breast milk for 4 to 6 months, the risk of osteoporosis (bone decay) and breast cancer are reduced afterwards. The mother can breastfeed her child in all other situations except heart failure or any disease of lungs or kidney. In case of some mental diseases, we advise the mother not to breastfeed her child. If the newborn baby is premature or suffers from cleft palate, then the mother is advised not to breastfeed the child. Besides that, if the mother is HIV or Hepatitis B positive or taking medicine for tuberculosis, even then the she can breastfeed her child.
If there is any benign tumor like Fibroadenoma in the breast of the mother, during the time of pregnancy, it can increase in size and some pain may also be felt. If the child is not breastfed immediately after the delivery, then there may arise some problems for the mother to breastfeed that child afterwards.
After three or four days of delivery, the breast of the newborn may increase comparatively in size and some fluid may secrete from the nipple. This is quite normal. The oestrogen of the newborn’s mother is responsible for this. It goes away automatically.
Sometimes, fluid secrets from the breast nipple. It may be continuous or it may secrete when pressure is given to the nipple. In some cases, the secretion is from one breast only. In 40% cases, the pituitary gland tumour in the brain is responsible for this kind of problem. Some medicine may also create this type of problem. Those who have this type of problem may also have other problems like osteoporosis, infertility and growing excessive hair in the face.
Among the cancer related deaths of females, 20% cases are due to breast cancer. Generally the risk of breast cancer is quite less before 25 years of age. But it can occur at any age. After menopause, the risk of breast cancer is increased. Those females who experienced menstruation earlier and/or delayed menopause have higher risk of breast cancer.
No child birth or child birth at delayed age can increase the risk of breast cancer. The risk of breast cancer is much higher in taking food containing excess fat, consuming alcohol, taking hormone replacement therapy after menopause.  Birth control pills and ionized radiation increase the risk of breast cancer. If a female takes adequate vegetables and fruits and does adequate physical exercise, then the risk of breast cancer is much less.
To keep away from breast cancer or to ensure the quick identification and treatment of breast cancer, we can perform self examination of the breast, the clinical examination of the breast and take the assistance of mammography.

E-mail: dr.purabi@yahoo.com