You may not know that nipple discharge can vary in color, but it can. One woman emailed me saying she thought she had gangrene of the breast because her nipple discharge was olive green. In fact what she had was a cyst underneath the areola and nipple area, which had spontaneously drained. But her email made me think about the various colors of discharges and what those colors may signify.
- Milky. Well, this in fact may be milk! Some women will continue to discharge a small amount of milk for a long time after they finish breast feeding their baby. Others may discharge actual milk due to an endocrine disorder such as a thyroid problem. And still others will have it for reasons we simply don't know. If a milky discharge is new, it needs to be investigated, but don't consider it an emergency.
- Green. This is most likely discharge from a breast cyst. Cysts are benign fluid-filled sacs inside the breast. It is wise to get a diagnostic evaluation to confirm it is a cyst. A radiologist can usually aspirate the fluid with a needle, thereby also collapsing the cyst.
- Bloody. This is probably the scariest one to see, but perhaps not the most worrisome. It can be cancer or a benign growth, called a papilloma, that is irritating the lining of the duct. Call your doctor for a diagnostic evaluation. Procedures may include a mammogram, ultrasound, and sometimes a ductogram, in which dye is inserted into the nipple to flood the ducts and reveal the abnormality causing this irritation.
- Clear. Now, you would think this would be the least worrisome of the bunch, yet it is in fact probably the most worrisome. This requires a diagnostic evaluation using breast imaging to rule out cancer.
So, got discharge? Remember to pay attention to its color.