Home Remedies For Mammary Duct Ectasia

Mammary duct ectasia is a non-cancerous condition of the breasts in which the lactiferous or milk ducts below the nipple get obstructed by a collection of fluid. This may result in some irritation, discharge and sometimes pain in the area around the nipple and the areola.

Mammary duct ectasia generally does not require any treatment and may go away on its own. However, if it is causing an irritation or becoming bothersome, there are a few home remedies that can be used to get some relief from the condition. Some of the self-care measures are-

• If there is a pain in the affected breast, applying a warm compress on the affected area may help alleviate the pain and soothe the sore breast tissue.

• The discharge from the affected breast can be quite annoying, troublesome and embarrassing, particularly if it makes your dress wet and stained.
• To take care of this problem in mammary duct ectasia, wearing soft breast pads or nursing pads is advisable so that any discharge can be absorbed by the pads instead of showing up on your clothes.
• Nursing pads or breast pads can be easily obtained from a medical store or a baby store.

• A supporting bra can help you soothe the sore breasts by providing them the support that they need when you have mammary duct ectasia.
• Also, a loose bra cannot keep a nursing pad in place, a well-fitting and supporting bra can provide you with support as well as keep the nursing pads in place.

• Smoking is related to widening and shortening of lactiferous ducts
• Those women who smoke are more prone to get mammary duct ectasia
• Also, it is incredibly difficult to treat any infection in the body if smoking is continued, as smoking makes it terribly difficult to get any infection treated
• Also, smoking is a potential risk factor for such recurrent infections as mammary duct ectasia

• Sleeping on the opposite side as to that of the affected breast may help alleviate the swelling and discomfort associated with mammary duct ectasia
• If these home remedies do not help, and if the condition is becoming more irritable and bothersome, or if it is starting to cause you some pain and discomfort, do not hesitate to seek an opinion of the physician. The condition usually needs no medical intervention, however if it is needed, there are many ways in which to do that.

• Antibiotics can be given if there is a bacterial infection
• Infection if not treated can lead to an abscess which may result in the formation of pus below the nipple
• This may become even more difficult to treat

Hence, consult the physician immediately in case the symptoms do not get better either on their own or with home remedies

• Inflammation of the ducts may cause irritation and some pain in few people
• If pain is bad, you may try taking an anti-inflammatory to reduce the inflammation thereby bringing down the pain
• Once the inflammation is taken care of, the pain will subside

If antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications fail to give you results, and the symptoms keep getting worse, there might be a need to perform a surgery to alleviate the symptoms.

This can be done in two ways-

• Microdochectomy -in this procedure, the surgeon will remove one of the milk ducts
• Total duct excision -in this type, all the milk ducts are removed
• These procedures are done by making a small incision near the areola.

Mammary duct ectasia is a non-cancerous condition of the breasts wherein the lactiferous or milk ducts that are present below the nipples get obstructed due to a fluid collection. This condition is usually harmless though annoying and gets better on its own. However, some home remedies can be used to get a relief from the condition.

Also Read:

• What Causes Mammary Duct Ectasia?
• Is Mammary Duct Ectasia Cancerous?