In faraway Austria, there was a mother who had just welcomed her second child. She should have been enjoying the sweetness of motherhood again, but she was instead suffering from pain in her perineal wound.
What exactly is causing this mother to suffer so much pain? Is it due to improper care by the mother herself, or is it due to the poor skills of the foreign doctor?
Welcome to the latest episode of "Approaching Obstetrics and Gynecology": A Bizarre Case of Perineal Wounds.
She is a 29-year-old mother of two. Four days after giving birth vaginally, she found that the incision of her perineal tear was so painful that she limped to the hospital with her baby in her arms.
The mother told the doctor: "Look, it's been four days since I gave birth, and the area where you stitched me up is still painful and swollen, with a white, milky discharge coming out."
The doctor examined the swollen and oozing incision and said: "Hmm, it seems to be an incision infection, an abscess."
So the doctor in charge performed a minor surgery. However, the result surprised everyone!
That white, milky secretion—it was actually milk!
If we follow the typical approach of a science documentary, there should probably be a bizarre scene here where the mother uses a syringe to inject her own milk into a wound.
But as a reliable medical professional, I want to talk to you about this today: ectopic breast tissue.
Ectopic breast tissue, simply put, means it's not in the right place. Ectopic breast tissue is actually quite common; many mothers find a painful lump in their armpit in the days following childbirth, which is commonly referred to as accessory breast tissue.
I think I heard someone calling me?
No, no, it's this—
This accessory breast tissue is actually ectopic breast tissue. It occurs in about 5% of people, but it's rare for it to grow on the vulva. Furthermore, ectopic breast tissue doesn't discriminate based on gender; both men and women can develop it, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 1:5.
The question is, why don't breasts grow in the places they should? To explain the reason, we need to first talk about the nipple line. This nipple line is not the same as the mammary gland, but rather the location where the precursors of breasts exist.
When we (both male and female) are just 6-week-old bear embryos, there are 6-8 locally raised mammary gland primordia on both sides of our abdomen, also called the milk line.
As we grow, the breasts in front of us continue to develop, while those in other areas gradually shrink. If these precursor breast tissues do not completely regress, ectopic breast tissue can occur.
Therefore, since there were 6-8 pairs of ectopic breast tissue, it is possible that ectopic breast tissue could not only appear in the armpit and the rare vulva, but also in other rather strange locations such as the shoulder and thigh.
These tissues are similar to the mammary gland tissue in a normal breast and are also regulated by hormone levels in our body.
For example, your breasts feel swollen before your period, and they silently endure it; they also work hard when you start breastfeeding after giving birth... That's why the mother mentioned earlier experienced white, milky discharge.
Some people might wonder if ectopic breast tissue can have a nipple. Actually, some ectopic breast tissue does have a nipple. In addition, there are combinations such as having only a nipple without breast tissue, and having only breast tissue without a nipple.
What package?
Ectopic breast tissue may grow into a "thumbtack" shape or an irregular lump. It may be painful to the touch, and the size of the lump may fluctuate with menstruation.
However, as ectopic breast tissue, its appearance isn't the main issue. The key point is that most ectopic breast tissue lacks a milk transport system. In other words, ectopic breast tissue inherently "blocks milk ducts," and the long-term accumulation of milk can potentially cause breast hyperplasia and benign lesions. Ectopic breast tissue also has the potential to become cancerous.
Hearing this, many people will inevitably feel a tightness in their chest. So what kind of ectopic breast conditions might require treatment?
For example, pain and discharge of unexplained fluid from ectopic breasts, or the discovery of abnormal lumps or suspicion of tumors during examination.
Of course, if it prevents girls from wearing tank tops and looking beautiful, then it is also a serious offense.
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