How can I tell if I have breast cancer while I am nursing a baby?

While you are nursing your baby, you may experience symptoms that could indicate breast cancer. Some of these symptoms will clear up over a few days, but others indicate a more malign underlying cause. By observing your breasts over a period of days while nursing, you and your doctor will be able to determine if you have breast cancer.

Symptoms

A lump in your breast while you are breastfeeding, as at any other time of your life, may be a sign that you have breast cancer. However, it can also be a normal side effect of lactation. The best thing to do is to wait and watch your breasts for a few days to see if the lump clears up on its own. On occasion, one of the ducts that brings milk to your nipple can become blocked or plugged. This can produce a lump in your breast, which will go away in a few days on its own or with home treatment like a warm compress or gentle massage.

A tumor will grow steadily and will not disappear and reappear. If you feel a persistent lump in your best, call your doctor immediately. However, if a lump periodically disappears and reappears in the same place, you may have a recurring plugged duct or a breast infection. If you experience several of these episodes within a relatively short period of time while nursing, schedule an appointment to see your doctor, who may perform a biopsy to determine what is causing the lump or alternatively may schedule you for a mammogram. Due to the density of breast tissue during nursing, mammograms can be difficult for doctors to accurately read, which is why a biopsy is the preferred diagnostic method.

Additionally, a spontaneous clear or bloody discharge from your nipple may be a symptom of breast cancer. If you notice what appears to be persistent eczema on one of your nipples, you may have Paget's disease, a rare form of cancer.

Weaning

If you do have breast cancer and you choose to undergo chemotherapy treatment, you will need to stop nursing immediately and go through a process of weaning. This is for your child's benefit. While your baby will not be harmed by the milk that he has drunk, chemotherapy drugs may affect him. Continuing to breastfeed when you undergoing chemotherapy is risky for your child.

Benefits of Breastfeeding

Many studies have shown breastfeeding to be an excellent way of preventing breast cancer. After undergoing treatment for breast cancer, you may nurse again without harming your child, provided that no harmful chemicals from chemotherapy remain in your system.

Source:

"Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers"; David Chan; 2006

More Information:

New York Times: Breast-Feeding May Lower Breast Cancer Risk for Some