Often at a reception with a gynecologist or mammologist, women are asked what the pimples are about the nipple. It is important to know that the white pimples on the nipples are properly called the Montgomery hillocks (WF Montgomery is the Irish obstetrician who first described these structures), although the vernacular name is used much more often, if not universally.
Montgomery's tubercles are the glands that are provided with the areola of a woman's nipples. These glands become especially noticeable in pregnancy, as well as during lactation , when a woman is breastfeeding.
What do white pimples around the nipple mean?
Pimples near the nipple are actually sebaceous glands, which have evolved in the course of evolution. On their tops the excretory ducts of the gland open. Pimples near the nipples separate the secret, the significance of which is still unclear. There is a version that these glands separate the grease containing a large amount of fat, which in a certain way protects the nipple from drying out. In addition, according to one version, the secret of Montgomery's glands has some bactericidal qualities. In science, there are cases when in pregnancy on the nipples pimples were separated by milk.
Interesting version, according to which the number of pimples on the nipples of the mother is in direct proportion to how well her baby feeds. Scientists suggest that in the secret of these glands there is a substance trapped by the olfactory receptors of the baby. Studies are underway to identify and synthesize this substance for later use to train preterm babies to receive nutrition from the maternal breast.
When and why do pimples appear on the nipples?
Pimples around the nipples may be present in different numbers in different women. There can be only a few, and maybe many. They are the points around the nipple. Usually there are 12-15 pimples on each nipple. If pimples appeared on the nipples during pregnancy, it is believed that the arrival of milk is coming. It is widely believed that the more pimples, the more the future mother will have milk.
Why pimples on the nipples appear during pregnancy, can be explained by the fact that in the body of a woman there is a hormonal adjustment. During lactation, Montgomery's tubercles are also strongly pronounced, but as soon as breastfeeding stops, the pimples undergo reverse development.
The increase or appearance of Montgomery's tubercles is one of the signs of pregnancy. In some women, they begin to increase from the very first days of pregnancy, becoming one of the first "messages" of the body that the egg was successfully implanted in the uterus.
All women need to remember that the appearance of such pimples is normal, does not pose a danger and, moreover, does not require treatment. Some women try to squeeze the contents of the glands, but do not do this,
Inflammation of tubercles Montgomery - a common phenomenon diagnosed by a doctor mammologist or gynecologist. The pimples turn red and become painful to the touch. To get rid of these symptoms, you can use a decoction of chamomile, but if the inflammation does not go away, you need to see a doctor. Do not steam or heat the breast if Montgomery's glands are out of the norm state. If the inflammation has arisen in a nursing mother, then before going to the doctor and before the diagnosis is recommended to stop breastfeeding .