- Symptoms of candidiasis in the breast
- What causes candidiasis in the breast
- What is the treatment of mammary candidiasis
- How to prevent breast candidiasis
Breast candidiasis is a fungal infection that generates symptoms such as pain, redness, a wound that is difficult to heal and a sensation of pinching in the breast while the baby is breastfeeding and remaining after the baby has finished breastfeeding.
Treatment is done with the use of antifungal drugs in the form of an ointment or tablet, as indicated by the doctor. The woman does not need to stop breastfeeding during treatment, but it is important to treat the baby if it shows symptoms of candidiasis in the mouth, so that there is no new contamination during feedings.
Symptoms of candidiasis in the breast
Symptoms of candidiasis in the breast are:
- Pain in the nipple, hooked during breastfeeding and remaining after breastfeeding; Small nipple sore with difficulty healing; Part of the nipple may be whitish; The affected nipple may be shiny; Burning sensation on the nipple; There may be itching and redness.
Breast candidiasis is considered a type of systemic candidiasis and not always all symptoms are present at the same time, but the pain in the sensation of pinching and the small wound are present in all cases.
To make the diagnosis, the doctor just needs to observe the breast and the symptoms that the woman presents, without having to perform any specific exam, but in some cases to make sure that it is a breast candidiasis, an analysis of the milk removed can be done. of the affected breast. The presence of Candida Albicans in breast milk highlights the condition.
What causes candidiasis in the breast
Breast candidiasis can be transmitted by the baby who shows signs of oral candidiasis to the mother through breastfeeding. The signs of oral candidiasis in the baby are the presence of white plaques on the tongue, the roof of the mouth and the inside of his cheeks. Sometimes it may seem that the baby has just had yogurt and that he has not been able to swallow everything properly, and that there are remains left in the mouth.
The Candida Albicans fungus naturally inhabits the baby's skin and mouth, but when its immune system is a little weaker, this fungus can proliferate too much causing the baby's oral candidiasis. When the baby puts a mouth full of fungi on the breast to suckle these fungi can migrate to the woman's breast causing mammary candidiasis, which can be very painful especially when there is a crack in the nipple. Know all the symptoms of candidiasis in the baby.
In many cases the baby passes the fungus to the mother even if it does not show any symptoms.
What is the treatment of mammary candidiasis
The treatment of candidiasis in the breast is done with the use of antifungals in the form of an ointment with nystatin, clotrimazole, miconazole or ketoconazole for 2 weeks. Women can apply the ointment after each feeding, it is not necessary to remove it before breastfeeding. Gentian violet, 0.5 or 1% can also be applied to the baby's nipples and mouth once a day for 3 or 4 days. When this treatment does not solve the problem the doctor may recommend taking fluconazole tablets for about 15 days.
See how to cure the Cracked Nipples to Breastfeed without pain
Candida proliferates in a humid environment and as breastfeeding the breast is moist several times a day, it must always be kept dry in the interval between feedings. Using a cotton breast disc is a great way to achieve this, but exposing your breasts to the sun is also a homemade way to get the same benefit.
If the baby has symptoms of oral candidiasis, it is necessary to treat it at the same time as the mother does her treatment to prevent it from contaminating the woman again. Pacifiers and nipples can also contain fungi and therefore should be boiled for 20 minutes at least once a day.
How to prevent breast candidiasis
To prevent candidiasis in the breast from happening again in addition to observing whether the baby has signs of thrush in the mouth, which increase the risk of transmission of the fungus, the woman should always keep the breast dry, because the humidity of this location facilitates the proliferation of fungi, giving rise to a new infection.
To keep the nipple always dry during the breastfeeding phase, a cotton disc suitable for breastfeeding must be used inside the bra every day.
If the breast is leaking milk, breastfeed immediately or remove excess milk by hand milking, during the bath, or with a breast pump. This milk can be stored and frozen for use in the future, when it is not possible to breastfeed. Learn how to remove and store breast milk.
