Fibrocystic Breast Condition, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

This book describes fibrocystic breast condition that is a benign disorder in which a female has painful breast lumps.
The more important issue here is about the suffering of all females after puberty.
The hormones that regulate the female's child bearing ability not only affect her uterus but also the breast and all this in preparation for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
In the case of the uterus the hormones first prepare the lining of the womb for pregnancy but when that do not happen cause the inner lining of the womb to slough off and flow out as menstrual blood.
Pain can occur during the menses.
Similarly the hormones prepare the breast for producing milk by swelling the breast tissues with secretions and extra glandular cells.
Again if pregnancy does not occur the unwanted cells in the breast are programmed to die and are broken down to fragments which can result in fibrosis injuring the ducts and clusters of dead glandular cells that can block the ducts.
When there has been tissue injury and scarring in the breast, these secretions may be trapped in the glandular parts of the breasts, thus resulting in the formation of fluid-filled sacs called cysts.
There may be overgrowth of the epithelial cells and abnormal cells, a process called atypical hyperplasia.
This can produce breast lumps normally benign but can turn malignant (cancer) later on.
The condition mainly involves women between the ages of 30 and 50, and is likely to resolve after menopause.
Fibrocystic breast disease (FBD) is now referred to as fibrocystic changes or fibrocystic breast condition, is the most frequent cause of "lumpy breasts" and involves more than 60% of women.
It is not a disease, but a condition.
Breast changes recognized as fibrocystic breast condition can be normal.
They can still induce breast pain, tenderness and lumpiness, particularly in the upper, outer area of the breasts.
A woman can have more fibrocystic formation in one breast than in the other.
The less affected breast often becomes worse over the years, and eventually both breasts become almost equally fibrocystic.
It is rare in women after menopause unless they are taking estrogen.
Causes
The exact cause of the condition is not known.
Fibrocystic breast condition is a progressive process that mainly affects women over 30 years of age.
Fibrocystic breast tissue is made of these components:
1. Fluid-filled round or oval sacs (cysts)
2. A prominence of scar-like fibrous tissue (fibrosis)
3. Overgrowth of cells (hyperplasia) lining the milk ducts or milk-producing tissues (lobules) of the breast
4. Enlarged breast lobules (adenosis)
More than 50% of women will form fibrocystic breast condition at some point in their lives.
Symptoms may be:
1. Pain or discomfort in both breasts
2. Pain that often comes and goes with the period, but may last through the whole month
3. Breasts that are full, swollen, or heavy
4. Pain or discomfort under the arms
5. Thick or lumpy breasts
6. Discharge from nipple
Diagnosis:
The doctor can diagnose fibrocystic breast condition by doing a physical breast examination.
The doctor may also order a mammogram, ultrasound, or MRI to get a better look at any alterations in the breasts.
An ultrasound scan or tissue biopsy may be done to exclude the possibility of breast cancer.
Treatment
Most women who have fibrocystic breast condition do not need invasive treatment.
Painkillers normally effectively alleviate any pain and discomfort.
The patient can also wear a well-fitting, supportive bra to decrease breast pain and tenderness.
Some women find that the application of warm or cold compresses alleviates their symptoms.
For more severe symptoms, the doctor may prescribe hormones
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Fibrocystic Breast Condition
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Breast Lumps
Chapter 8 Breast Cancer
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940154614747
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	10/30/2017
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	146 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 65. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical conditions seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com. This autobiolographical account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 550 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical conditions. The first chapter of all my ebooks is always taken from my blog A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions which was started in 2007 as a simple educational help to my patients on my first blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. The medical condition was described simply and direct to the point. Because the simple guide as taken from the blog was described as too simple, I have increased the other chapters to include more detailed description of the illness, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. As a result there are the complaints by some readers of constant repetitions of the same contents but in detail and fairly up to date. He has published 550 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health conditions and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Bouna Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. All the PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"