Clear discharge

[Clear discharge]

I have had tenderness in my breast and when I squeeze my nipple I have a clear to opaque discharge.  This discharge does not come out by itself, I must squeeze my nipple for it to appear, and I experience extreme tenderness around the areola.  I recently went for a mammogram and the nurse was vague about the details.  She said I must come in for a sonogram.  I am very worried and was wondering what this might mean and would like some worst case situations.  Thank you

[martaK]

A related discussion, breast lump was started.

[neener]

I have had a clear discharge from my right breast. The nipple is inverted and
I first thought it might be sweat but I squeezed it and saw the discharge come out. I had a mammogram in Septemper, 2000
and was told it was OK. I have been on Prempro for quite a while and I wondered
if it would cause this? How concerned should I be?

[CCF-RN,MSN-JS]

Depending on your risk of breast cancer there are other procedures that can be done to further investigate the ductal tissue if the index of suspicion is high.  One of these procedures is ductal lavage, in which a hairlike needle is threaded through the nipple to further examine the cells in the breast ducts.  However, often a person can have discharge from the breast which is benign (non-cancerous).

Although mammogram is a good test for detecting abnormalities in the breast, a sonogram may be recommended to differentiate a cystic (fluid filled) vs. solid density.

The most important point is to be followed up by a physician when abnormalities occur to determine the cause of any discharge.