Women’s health & fitness guide

Finding a lump or any change to the breast has to be the number one nightmare for all women, but the good news is that most changes to the breast and indeed most lumps are normal and they can happen for several different reasons. The most common reasons these changes occur are during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and with normal ageing, the most common changes to the breast which are benign are:

• Cysts – these are sacs that are filled with fluid.
• General breast lumpiness.
• Fibroadenomas – these are firm round, painless lumps which are movable.
• Fat necrosis – which is damaged fat tissue.
• Intraductal papillomas – this is growth inside the ducts.
• Enlarged lymph nodes.
• Mastalgia – this is general breast pain.
• Mastitis – this is an infection of the breast.
• Nipple discharge.
• Thrombophlebitis – which are inflammation of the blood vessels.