This time it’s my nipples. One of them started bleeding yesterday–not gushing, or painful, just a few drips and spots of blood, without question from my right nipple. Is this normal? I don’t have my nipples pierced, but my boyfriend does have thing for sucking on them. So that’s probably the cause, right? Should I see a doctor?
TYG, hope your feeling better.
A common cause of a unilateral bloody nipple discharge is intraductal papilloma, a benign breast tumor with excellent prognosis. Other posibilities are trauma (you’d know if this were the case) or infection (accompanied by pain, swelling, redness, possibly feeling sick). Bad things (ie cancer) that cause bloody nipple discharge are:
AFAIK, there may be “normal” causes of bloody nipple discharge, but I’ve never heard of one and neither has my wife (we’re both fourth year med students).
I wouldn’t spend alot of time fretting; chances are excellent that the underlying problem is easily remedied. However, please bring the discharge to the attention of your MD
Sucking on them shouldn’t cause that, you know why? Cause babies do that all the time.
It can also be caused by hormones. My **14 year old daughter ** just saw the doctor for this problem.
There was blood? Was it only on one side?
Yes, you should see a doctor.
If you ask us a question like this, we are always going to recommend that you “see a doctor.” We don’t know what else is going on with you, so it would be inappropriate for us to give you advice about your problem.
It is one thing to ask questions about medical issues or others’ experiences with medical problems… and another thing to ask the Straight Dope to give a diagnosis based on your described symptoms. Please get professional help if you have a potentially serious health problem. A simple call to Planned Parenthood or to a nurse at your medical provider’s office would be enough to find out if you should “see a doctor.” - Jill
Yes to both. But as other have said it could also be a sign of something more serious. A quick look over the net while I waited for the doctor’s office to call back said the same thing that the nurse said when they called.
Get to a doctor as soon as possible.