discharge

I am 36 years old.  I have been having discharge from the right nipple for about three months- every so often - the fluid was clear and I wasn't overly concerned about it because it was minimal.  over the last few days, the discharge has increased and is now bloody and sometimes orange-ish.  I have been waking to blood stains on my nightdown.  I made an appointment, but couldn't get in to see the doctor til the end of the week.  In the meantime, I was wondering what it could be causing it- aside from cancer?

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear di66:  There are a variety of things that can cause nipple discharge, including ductal papilloma for example.  The concern exists when the discharge is unilateral (on one side) and spontaneous and appears clear and sticky or bloody.  You have done the right thing by getting an appointment with your doctor.  It is important that you have this checked out.

[surgeon]

Bloody discharge is due to something other than cancer 90% of the time; most commonly the papilloma mentioned above. It's a wart-like growth in the duct. There's also a condition called "duct ectasia," which means dilated ducts. They can harbor chronic infection or inflammation that can lead to bleeding. But clearly the best thing to do is to become absolutely certain what's going on by having a biopsy. The odds are very much in your favor.

[Di66]

I saw the doctor yesterday for an exam - he ordered a mammogram which I was able to have yesterday.  I saw the breast surgeon today - he believes it is an intraductal papilloma and is removing the duct on Tuesday.

[DMC007]

A related discussion, Breast Duct Removal was started.