When a human papillomavirus infection enters the human skin, neoplasms appear. They may be called warts or condylomas. It depends on the type and type of infection. They can appear on various parts of the body or mucous membranes. The possibility that a papilloma will appear on the nipple cannot be ruled out. This is promoted by a virus with a certain type.
Very often, the virus begins to progress when the human body weakens or hormonal levels change. Therefore, it may appear in a woman during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The danger of papillomas during pregnancy lies in the possibility of infection of the child, inconvenience during feeding, or the transition of such a wart from a benign tumor to a cancerous one. Papillomas during pregnancy, what causes them to appear on the body? Is it possible to remove papillomas during pregnancy? What to do if many tumors appear? Why did papillomas appear on the neck?
Causes
The cause of neoplasms is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which infects about 80% of the world's population . While in the body, HPV may not show itself for months or even years. And only when certain conditions arise, it will begin to progress, resulting in formations appearing on the skin.
You can become infected with the human papillomavirus in the following ways:
- in utero from mother to child,
- during sexual intercourse,
- through kisses, hugs and handshakes,
- through dishes, hygiene items, clothing, bedding.
A person who leads a healthy lifestyle and has a high level of immunity can be a carrier of HPV, but never get sick. And, on the contrary, in a weakened body, the virus can make itself felt at the first opportunity.
How to avoid infection with papillomavirus?
In order not to aggravate the situation, you must follow the rules:
- avoid casual sexual contacts;
- observe the rules of personal hygiene;
- Get your children vaccinated on time;
- lead a healthy lifestyle;
- ensure that the body is in good shape;
- constantly work to strengthen the immune system;
- undergo regular medical tests.
Children are born with the HPV virus, but this is not scary. To prevent the virus from showing its aggressiveness, parents need to regularly have their children examined by pediatricians. There they receive age-specific vaccinations against various types of viruses.
Provoking factors
Many reasons have been identified that can trigger the activation of HPV. During pregnancy, provoking factors are:
- disruption of the body's hormonal levels,
- decreased immune system resistance,
- weight gain,
- bad habits, including smoking,
- taking medications containing corticosteroids,
- excessive overheating or hypothermia,
- environmentally unfavorable situation,
- failure to comply with personal hygiene rules.
In addition, although breasts increase in size during pregnancy, many women continue to wear the same underwear. Tight bras compress the mammary glands and rub them, which causes microcracks and abrasions into which the virus easily penetrates.
Causes of appearance on nipples during pregnancy
During the period of bearing a child, the female body undergoes a radical restructuring. The immune system should protect the baby, but due to increased stress it weakens and is exposed to viruses.
In the body of a healthy person, HPV may not manifest itself in any way for many years and may be in a latent stage.
Activation of the virus and the formation of papillomas during pregnancy is caused by:
- A sharp deterioration in the immune system of the expectant mother.
- Hormonal imbalance in a pregnant or nursing mother.
- Microtrauma of the nipples due to improper attachment of the baby during feeding.
- Using underwear that doesn’t fit, that is too tight, which squeezes the chest.
- Violation of personal hygiene.
- Severe fatigue, hypothermia.
- Allergic reactions in the body, inflammatory processes.
- Food of inadequate quality, intake of vitamins in insufficient quantities.
- Prolonged stress.
- Rapid weight gain, obesity. According to statistics, papillomas on a pregnant woman’s body appear at the end of the second and beginning of the third trimester.
Symptoms
Papillomas are benign neoplasms that arise on the surface of the skin or mucous membranes. They are a small growth, usually flesh-colored. Sometimes papillomas can be dark brown or burgundy.
Formations are located both individually and in groups. Most often they appear after 4-5 months of pregnancy. If such growths were observed in a woman before conceiving a child, then they can appear already from the first month.
What are the dangers of warts in intimate places during pregnancy?
The danger of condylomas in the intimate area lies in the possible transmission of HPV to a child. Also, such neoplasms can eventually degenerate into malignant ones. When wearing tight underwear, the warts are injured, creating a wound that can easily become infected. This is a very dangerous condition for a pregnant woman.
On nipples and areolas
In this case, wearing a tight bra is prohibited due to the high risk of injury to the warts.
The same goes for the breastfeeding period. The woman will experience severe discomfort and pain, the papillomas become injured and begin to bleed. As a result, the risk of wound infection increases. Such condylomas must be removed.
On the labia
Large papillomas interfere with the woman’s delivery process and can cause injury and bleeding. Also, such formations often provoke the development of vaginal dysbiosis, and the woman develops copious discharge. When papillomas are localized inside the vagina, the birth canal may rupture, so in such cases the woman undergoes an unscheduled cesarean section.
Localization
In addition to the breasts, papillomas can occur on the face, neck, and hands of a pregnant woman. They can often be found in the armpits or groin on the external genitalia.
Neoplasms that appear on the chest may vary in appearance depending on their location:
- On the nipple. On the halos around the nipples during pregnancy, small, soft-to-touch bumps appear on a wide stalk. Most often these are single papillomas of a dark brown color.
- On the skin of the breast. These are small, elongated, flesh-colored papillae located on the chest itself, which can be easily noticed.
- Internal. They arise inside the milk ducts and can only be detected by palpation. These neoplasms are often accompanied by discharge from the nipple.
A pregnant woman should make it a rule to examine her breasts daily. If growths or other changes are detected, you should immediately report them to the observing obstetrician-gynecologist.
Symptoms of papillomatosis of the nipples and breast skin
Papilloma
The main clinical manifestation of papilloma on the nipple is the formation of warts; they can appear on the surface of the skin of the breast or grow into the inside of the mammary gland. Papilloma on the nipple halo is easily detected with the naked eye, which greatly simplifies the treatment process. Papillomatosis formed in the middle of the mammary glands can only be detected by palpation; this can be done either independently or with the help of a specialist. All women, regardless of age, should remember that detection of any lump in the mammary glands requires an immediate visit to a mammologist.
Several factors indicate the presence of intraductal papillomas:
- increased sensitivity of the nipples;
- discharge of an unspecified nature;
- pain and burning in the nipple area.
To confirm the diagnosis, a woman who suspects she has papillomatosis of the nipples and breasts must consult a specialist - an oncologist or mammologist, undergo an ultrasound examination of the mammary gland and a number of laboratory tests, such as scraping from the surface of the nipples and analysis of discharge from the nipples, if any available. All these medical procedures are aimed at determining the nature of the alarming symptoms and ruling out cancer.
Based on the results obtained, the doctor will be able to accurately establish a diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.
What is the danger of papillomas on the mammary glands?
In most cases, papillomas disappear on their own after childbirth and do not cause much concern. Therefore, if a woman does not experience pain or discomfort from their presence, there is no reason to worry.
But even seemingly innocent formations, in some cases, can lead to very serious consequences.
- Mechanical damage to papillomas as a result of friction with clothing, bedding or during bathing can become a “gateway” for pathogenic microorganisms and lead to inflammation and suppuration.
- Growths on the nipples that do not disappear after childbirth can be injured by the baby’s gums and lips during feeding.
- A virus that parasitizes tumors can get onto the mucous membranes of an infant. Against the background of an imperfect immune system, this is fraught with the appearance of vocal warts in a child.
- In 5% of cases, benign papillomas may degenerate into malignant neoplasms . This most often occurs with internal growths, which lead to the proliferation of the epithelium of the milk ducts.
Any discharge from the nipples should be a reason for an immediate visit to the doctor and a full examination. The earlier the diagnosis is made, the easier it is to get rid of unpleasant symptoms.
How dangerous are warts for pregnancy and the fetus?
During pregnancy, a woman must undergo a blood test to detect HPV in the body. When she receives a positive result, she immediately begins to worry whether this virus will have a negative effect on the child and the course of pregnancy. It all depends on the location and size of the tumors.
HPV: impact on the child
The negative impact of this virus on the fetus is minimal. If papillomas are localized in the intimate areas, then during labor, HPV can be transmitted to the baby. However, his body will cope with it on its own without causing any unpleasant symptoms. The same applies to the lactation period, when condylomas are located on the mother’s nipples.
It has been clinically proven that HPV does not affect intrauterine development and does not cause any abnormalities in the fetus. Only genital warts are dangerous, as they have a high degree of degeneration into malignant formations.
Childbirth with the HPV virus in the mother's blood
The risk of transmitting the virus to a child if there are papillomas on the genitals is very high.
But this process is not particularly dangerous and does not affect the baby’s health. The child’s body becomes a carrier of HPV and copes with it independently. The presence of papilloma virus is not a direct indication for a cesarean section. Among the negative consequences for a child, it is worth highlighting laryngeal papillomatosis, which develops during the first few years of life. However, this pathology is easily treatable and does not pose a direct threat to life.
Diagnostics
If a woman during pregnancy is concerned about neoplasms on the chest or other parts of the body, then the gynecologist or obstetrician who is observing the expectant mother should be informed about this. You may need to consult other specialists - a dermatologist, mammologist or oncologist surgeon.
The diagnosis is made based on a survey of the patient, which determines the period of appearance of papillomas, complaints of pain and other sensations.
In addition, the doctor finds out the reasons for the activation of HPV in order to try to eliminate them. The next step will be a visual examination of the tumors and identification of internal papillomas by palpation. In some cases, an ultrasound examination of the mammary glands will be required.
If there is a suspicion of degeneration of papilloma, then a histological examination or biopsy is performed, in which particles of material are taken. In rare cases, radiography or ductography is prescribed, in which a contrast agent is injected into the milk ducts and then examined using special devices.
Treatment
Modern medicine does not yet have medications that can cure human papillomavirus . Therefore, therapy is prescribed to reduce symptoms and prevent the spread of the disease. But during pregnancy, such treatment is not indicated for several reasons:
- so as not to harm the unborn child,
- in most cases, papillomas will disappear on their own after childbirth.
For the same reasons, doctors refrain from removing tumors from expectant mothers, believing that the nervous stress associated with this procedure and the use of anesthesia will not have the best effect on the baby’s condition.
If it is necessary to get rid of papillomas for urgent reasons, the following minimally invasive methods are used:
- Cryodestruction. Exposure the growths to liquid nitrogen, after which they die and peel off. Does not require anesthesia, there is no scar left after the procedure.
- Radiosurgery. Removal of papillomas with a directed beam of radio waves. Used only for benign tumors.
- Electrocoagulation. Application of high frequency current to burn out growths on the skin. In some cases, a scar or age spot remains.
- Laser coagulation. Papillomas are removed using a laser beam. At the same time, the vessels are “sealed”, and the procedure takes place without bleeding.
If there are serious suspicions of degeneration of the formation, the doctor may resort to the most radical method - surgical excision. The operation is performed under anesthesia, and not only the papilloma is removed, but also the area of skin around it, leaving a scar.
The use of traditional methods for removing tumors on the breast, including cauterization with acid, application of medicinal plant juice and other drugs, is contraindicated during pregnancy. Procedures not approved by a doctor can harm not only the mother’s body, but also the unborn baby.
Folk remedies
It must be said that treatment with folk remedies in the case of papillomas is practically ineffective, but some women say that folk treatment helped them. During pregnancy, it is better to refrain from recipes that contain aggressive substances or the juice of poisonous plants. They say that the papilloma virus cannot tolerate substances that are part of celandine, onions, garlic, and tea tree oil. Recipes with these remedies cannot harm the baby, therefore, if you have a desire to use them, pregnancy is not a contraindication:
- Raw potatoes should be grated and the resulting pulp should be applied to the papilloma several times a day until it disappears.
- You can make a paste of garlic, mix it with flour and sour cream. The product is applied to the formation and sealed with a band-aid for 3 days.
- Tea tree oil compresses are made once a day.
- Some people advise lubricating the papilloma with vitamin A; this should be done until the formation is completely eliminated.
- You can soak a cotton swab in an apple bite and apply this compress to the formations for 20 minutes, repeating the procedure several times a day.
All these recipes are harmless for the mother and her unborn baby, but before using them, be sure to consult a doctor and carry out all the necessary diagnostics to rule out dangerous and serious diseases.
