WHY HAVE SORE NIPPLES? (The truth Men need to know about a woman's nipple and warning signs of infection). Part 1

Health, they say is wealth. I want us to look into a sensitive topic which will help us understand the female body as well as take utmost care of it. A man once asked me...**Esther, can I contract an infection by sucking the nipples of my wife? I won't tell you my answer to that question. As you read, you will extract or decode the answer yourself. However, nipples aren't the window to the soul, but they can be pretty good signals of particular health conditions and changes to the breasts and hormones .

There's no need for concern if yours are droopy, pronounced, small, big, hairy, whatever. The real reason for you to sit up and pay attention to your nipples is if they suddenly change in any way:
produce something different, look a new shape, suddenly invert, hurt, or become really sore or itchy . After giving a brief talk on Sexually Transmitted Infections during our health facilitation program, a young lady signaled she wants to see me in Camera. Acknowledging that, I waited after facilitation to know what her problem was. She told me her nipples suddenly became darker and milk sometimes stream out of them. I asked if she's a lactating mother, she said No. Then , I began to explain one step at a time, all that I wrote in this article to her.So next time your nipples do something inexplicable, grab this guide, don't panic, and track down the precise cause of their discomfort.

1. "You Might Be Pregnant"
Soreness in the nipple area is one of the clearest folk medicine signs that you're preggers. But, crucially, it won't just be the nipples that get sore: it will be the whole tissue of both breasts. The tissue in this part of your body is very sensitive to hormonal shifts, and pregnancy is one of the biggest upheavals your body's hormonal system will ever have. Breasts become heavier because pregnancy hormones increase your blood volume. You may discover that your normal bra is no longer your size and you'll be having difficulty hooking it up.That said, you may just be menstruating or about to get your period. So, no, changes do not guarantee that you're pregnant.

2. "Your nipples could be Infected"
Yes, you can get thrush of the nipples — and it can hurt like the blazes. Nipple infections are more common than you think, particularly if the skin on your nipples is already cracked or vulnerable because of eczema or jogger's nipple. It's most commonly seen during breastfeeding (babies have dirty mouths), but itchy or sore nipples in the decidedly un- pregnant are a possible sign that the nipple may be infected, with thrush or some other kind of bacteria, and you may require antibiotics. When someone sucks on an infected nipple, I guess you know what that means...

3. Nipples Shouldn't Be Bleeding Unless You're
Breastfeeding"
Of all the several types of discharge we'll get to in a minute, the one that may cause you most concern is bloody discharge. It's a sign that something's gone a bit wrong, but the scale of the problem can vary pretty widely. Bloody discharge is pretty common in breast- feeding women , and is, hilariously, called "rusty pipe syndrome" — but it usually goes away pretty quickly. Other possible causes can be a bit more serious. One is mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue. Another could be an intraductal papilloma , a small, benign tumor of the breast that forms inside the milk ducts that lead to
the nipple. Both are easy to resolve (though you need to see a doctor and likely have
surgery for the second one). It may also, however, be caused by a carcinoma in some part of the breast — in other words, cancer.

4. "You Might Have Ectasia"
This sounds kind of gross, but it's actually not all that worrisome. Mammary duct ectasia , which is most common in women over 45, happens when a milk duct in your breast widens and gets clogged. It's painful and a bit startling, but it's not a sign of cancer. Ectasia may turn into mastitis, infection of the breast, which isn't surprising considering that a key part of the fluid circulation of the breast is being clogged. But it does mean other symptoms: pain, swelling, and itching, plus a possible inversion of the nipple . It'll likely go away with antibiotics, though if it's really stubborn, the blocked duct may have to be surgically removed. It's all good, though: it's not very common, and, like many of these nipple-related problems, will clear up with a visit to your GP or gynecologist.

5. "You Don't Need To Freak Out If We Get Darker"
If the only sign you've ever had of changing color in your nipples was when you first developed breasts in puberty, this might freak you out — but it's not terrible news, generally speaking. Darker nipples are related to hormonal fluctuation in your body. They tend to be associated with pregnancy, and, interestingly, aren't just confined to the nipple: hormonal fluctuation darkening can happen
all over your body. Essentially, the hormone that causes the body's pigment to darken — the melanin- concentrating hormones — can be triggered by changes in the rest of the hormone cycle. Your nipples will get darker, as will your freckles, moles, and other areas that are already darker than anywhere else. So don't freak out.

6. "...But We Shouldn't Suddenly Become Inverted"
If you've had an inverted nipple since birth, it's no biggie . It's just a thing, and nobody has ever associated it with health conditions. But a nipple that has suddenly inverted — i.e., suddenly turned inward as opposed to poking outward — may be associated with the development of breast cancer, and you need to get it checked out.
There are exceptions. An inverted nipple is caused by the breast tissue being contracted and pulling it inward , which can be caused by a variety of things, like genetics, a blow to the breast, or pregnancy. If it's suddenly happened, though, the rule is to go get it checked. It may be Paget's disease of the nipple , a kind of breast cancer.

I wish to go on and on but I have to rest my fingers and continue in the next episode. Share this information to everyone you know. It will surely help someone.

IJEOMA ESTHER OGBUKA.