An extremely challenging phase of women’s lives is menopause, as it is the onset of a lot of physical and emotional changes. At the same time, the body is at a point of uncertainty and there are increased risks for cancer and a need for cancer prevention. However, menopause is not a cause of breast cancer. Cancer could be a risk with increasing age, so the chances of a woman in menopause developing it are also greater. The common symptoms of breast cancer in menopausal women are as discussed herein.

1. Skin Texture Changes
The presence of breast cancer cells can end up triggering inflammation in the skin cells and this causes an overall change in the skin’s texture. As a result, the skin can manifest itself in a scaly form like that of sunburn or extreme dryness. There can also be visible thickening of the skin in parts of the breast around the areola and nipple. There may also be itching present at times but not a very common phenomenon with everyone. There can also be other factors that cause this symptom are eczema and dermatitis.

2. Nipple Discharge
At times, there is a discharge oozing from the nipples, which could comprise fluid that can be either thick or thin, in color from yellow to milky, occasionally even red or green. Nipple discharge is a common phenomenon when the individual is breastfeeding but for a person in the menopausal stages, this is a cause for alarm and requires a visit to the doctor. In general, nipple discharge is not cancerous but it is a symptom of breast cancer. There could be other causes for nipple discharge such as changes in physiology, breast infections, and side effects of medications.

3. Skin Dimpling
This is a symptom wherein the skin can have dimpling resulting from the inflammations due to breast cancer. When the cancer cells affect the lymph nodes and cause a buildup of the lymph fluid, this occurrence can be accompanied by pitted skin or dimpling. It is not a common occurrence and, therefore, requires that you contact a doctor immediately to diagnose the problem. This dimple would look similar to the outer skin of an orange.

4. Lymph Node Changes
There is a possibility that cancer cells can end up spreading to the lymph nodes in the underarm portion of the body. These nodes are the immune center and help protect against harmful agents such as viruses, bacteria, and harmful cells. Sometimes, there could be visible swelling in the lymph nodes around the collarbone as well. These swellings are firm and small in nature, but tender when touched.

In addition to these visible symptoms of breast cancer in menopausal women, there can be other symptoms such as nipple and breast pains, nipple inversion, nipple retraction along with general swelling, and redness around the breast region. One must get a doctor’s consult they feel that they are in a high-risk category for breast cancer. Detecting these symptoms early goes a long way in battling this disease better.