Mastopathy in women: signs and symptoms, treatment, the role of pregnancy and breastfeeding

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Mastopathy is a very common disease affecting the dermis-fat tissue. For pathology, abnormal growth of tissues is characteristic, in which formation of various kinds of seals occurs in the mammary gland.

Usually, if such formations are found, women become panic-stricken, suspecting almost breast cancer. Therefore, it is worth to learn more about this disease, its clinic and its causes.

What is mastopathy in women?

So, mastopathy is one of the most common pathological conditions of a woman, which is found in various forms in more than 60% of the female population.

As a matter of fact, mastopathy is of benign origin, but under a number of specific circumstances it can be regenerated into the oncogenesis of .

Mastopathy seals can often cause severe pain in patients, negatively affecting overall well-being.

Causes of

Mastopathic processes can occur for various reasons, due to specific factors that cause hormonal imbalance in the female body.

The most common causes of mastopathy in women are:

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  • Problems with gynecological health. The mammary gland is inextricably linked with the reproductive system and reproductive functions, so even the slightest deviations in sexual health affect the condition of the mammary gland. According to statistics, about 75% of gynecological pathologies become causes of mastopathy. Quite common clinical cases, when a woman leads a lifestyle associated with prolonged sexual abstinence;
  • Artificial termination of pregnancy. At the time of the abortion, the pregnant woman's body is set for the future onset of maternity and its hormonal background is also adjusted accordingly. When a sudden abortion occurs, this affects the woman's hormonal system in the most negative way. Along with this, the functioning of metabolic processes is disrupted, hormonal imbalance occurs, which leads to the appearance of mastopathic changes in the dairy tissues;
  • Frequent exposure to stressful conditions. It is proved that in a state of stress in the body there is a powerful release of hormonal substances, which, with frequent repetitions, leads to imbalance of hormones;
  • Unhealthy lifestyle. The presence of harmful habits, lack of satisfaction with the sexual life, lack of pregnancy and lactation, obesity - all this often becomes a provoking factor for the mastopathic processes in the dairy tissues;
  • Endocrine pathology. Similar disorders in the state of health adversely affect the activity of the whole body, often this applies to the mammary glands.

Cystic mastopathy in women develops mainly in postmenopause, the rest of this pathology is practically not found during this period, exceptions are patients who receive hormone treatment.

Types of

Mammologists classify mastopathy into several characteristic forms:

  1. Adenosis or diffuse mastopathic form - when dairy interlobular tissue expands;
  2. Fibrous mastopathy - when fibrous growths predominate;
  3. Glandular mastopathy;
  4. Cystic mastopathy - pathology accompanied by the formation of cystic enlargements in the chest;
  5. Nodular mastopathy - is characterized by a partial lesion of dairy tissues with the formation of nodules;
  6. Fibroadenoma - accompanied by the formation in the breast tissue of a mobile formation.

Signs and symptoms

Clinico-symptomatic manifestations of mastopathy often depend on the psychological characteristics of a woman, so in different patients manifestations of pathology may be slightly different.

  1. The most characteristic sign of the mastopathic process is the pain syndrome on the eve of the onset of menstruation .In the chest, there is a certain amount of heaviness. Pain symptomatology can manifest itself brightly, while the dermo-glandular tissues swell and coarsen, indicating a swelling in the chest, leading to violations of lymph flow and microcirculation. Soreness and tingling sensation in the tissues of the breast are usually characterized as the primary manifestations of mastopathic pathology, as well as nodal seals.
  2. No less typical for mastopathy is the appearance of characteristic discharge from the nipples of .The nature of such secretions can be different, like the hue: yellowish, whitish, with bloody impregnations, transparent, greenish, etc.
  3. A leading sign is swelling of the axillary lymph nodes .Such a manifestation is not typical for all types of mastopathy, appearing only in certain cases.
  4. Multiple, small formations, nodules, are probed in the chest. It is possible to detect them when palpation of the chest, during which the sizes and contours of the nodules are clearly felt. However, such formations often show breast cancer, so if such a symptom is found, additional research such as biopsy and histological analysis may be necessary. Sometimes in the dairy tissues are palpated rather large seals, indicating the cystic nature of mastopathy.

In the presence of a diffuse mastopathic form, the pain symptomatology is of a different nature, the discomfort can be manifested by severe soreness, giving off to the armpit, shoulder, or shoulder and neck area.

Diagnosis

First, a mammologist specialist interrogates a woman, conducts an anamnesis, examines a patient, performs palpation of the mammary glands.

Usually, at this stage of diagnosis, various seals and nodules are found, their boundaries and consistency are probed.

The doctor then directs the woman to an ultrasound examination - this is a very common diagnostic technique, however, it is characterized by low informativeness with the expressed deposits of adipose tissue.

Computer and magnetic resonance imaging are the most informative, but it is often impossible to apply such diagnostic methods, because they are very expensive, and the dose load is considerable.

To clarify the nature of compaction and biopsy, which is the most reliable.

The role of pregnancy and breastfeeding

According to experts, if a fibrocystic mastopathic form is found, the woman is recommended to become pregnant.

That is why the state of pregnancy and the period of breastfeeding are officially considered a therapeutic and prophylactic technique against mastopathic processes in the tissues of the breast.

Treatment of

The main goal in the treatment of mastopathy in women is the stabilization of the hormonal status. The direction of treatment is determined by the level of individual hormones such as estradiol and progesterone, prolactin, etc.

Depending on the results of the blood test for the content of these hormones, certain drugs that correct the hormonal background are prescribed.

Sometimes, with the cystic nature of mastopathy, puncture is performed with removal from the formation of the contents and subsequent administration of sclerosing drugs.

In clinically severe cases, surgical intervention is shown through sectoral resection of dairy tissues. Remote education is necessarily sent for histology.

Preparations

In the treatment of mastopathy, women use hormonal preparations like:

  • Utrozhestan;
  • Dufaston;
  • Progesterone, etc.

The use of oral contraceptives is recommended to regulate the menstrual cycle. In addition, patients are often prescribed estrogenic inhibitors.

For the purpose of anesthesia, the use of analgesics, homeopathic remedies and diuretics that remove characteristic puffiness from breast tissue before menstruation is indicated.

After 40 women can prescribe steroid hormones like Methyltestosterone, Methandrostanediol or testosterone injections. In case of problems with the thyroid gland, iodine preparations are indicated.

The effectiveness of therapy is determined by a comprehensive approach to treatment with painkillers and homeopathic drugs, bromocriptine and tamoxifen, potassium iodide and danazol, contraceptives and gestagens, etc.

Forecast

In general, the prognostic picture of mastopathy is positive. With early detection and timely treatment, the picture is most favorable.

In the development of fibroadenoma or untreated fibrocystic mastopathy, malignancy of the pathology may occur.

Therefore, it is important to conduct monthly self-examination to detect the presence of pathological growths in the dairy tissues in time.

Prophylaxis of

A proven preventive method is a systematic monthly self-examination, during which it is possible to detect changes in the dairy tissues in time. This is recommended after the end of menstrual flow.

Breastfeeding and baby-bearing also refers to excellent preventive measures. However, experts warn that prolonged breastfeeding for more than a year and a half can also provoke mastopathy, therefore, it is not necessary to exceed the 1.5-year period of feeding.

Also, abortion, sexual abstinence and addictions like alcohol and tobacco smoking should be discarded.

What is mastopathy and what it threatens a woman, this video will tell:

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