Vol 92, No 12 (2021)
Review paper
Published online: 2021-10-07

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Rusty pipe syndrome. Safety of breastfeeding

Katarzyna M. Wszolek1, Adrianna Nowek23, Angelika Odor2, Malgorzata Piet13, Maciej Wilczak13
Pubmed: 35014016
Ginekol Pol 2021;92(12):902-904.

Abstract

The rusty pipe syndrome is an uncommon condition. It is characterised by suddenly painless, bilateral bloody nipple discharge with no visible evidence of mechanical injuries within the breasts. It resolves spontaneously with no additional medical intervention. If the problem persists for more than 5–7 days, further investigations should be made to exclude other pathologies. In the available literature, there is no clear explanation of the condition. Many authors agree that the condition may be caused by the structure of blood vessels and may depend on changes therein that occur during stage I and II lactogenesis. In most cases, it is recognised during breast milk expression, when the colour of milk is different than normally.

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