Have you ever looked at your nipples and wondered if
they’re normal? It turns out, they come in all different
shapes and sizes. What’s more, they can bring you
incredible pleasure, help feed a baby, and even tip you
off to some potentially serious health problems.
Seriously, they’re amazing. After reading this, we
promise you’ll have newfound respect for this body
part. Here, everything you need to know about your
nipples.

1. They Can Span Several Inches
The size of a woman’s nipples and areolas can be as
wide as a half-dollar or smaller than a dime, and either
way is totally normal, says Alyssa Dweck, M.D., ob-gyn
in Westchester, New York and coauthor of V Is for
Vagina. Gain weight or get pregnant, and they can
balloon even bigger, she says.

2. They Come in a Range of Colors
Pale pink, brick red, dark brown: Nipple pigment has to
do with a woman’s ethnic background and the hue of
the rest of her skin. Just as nipple size changes when
you have a baby, so does nipple color, and that shift in
shade is often permanent. “It’s the result of hormone
surges during pregnancy,” says Dweck.

3. They're Capable of Mucho Pleasure
Nipples are an erogenous zone for many women, and a
2011 study from the Journal of Sexual Medicine backs this
up. Researchers using MRI imaging found that when
nipples are stimulated, a pleasure center inside the
brain lights up the same way it lights up after
stimulation of the clitoris and vagina.

4. Nipple Orgasms are Not Fiction
The same 2011 study that showed a link between nipple
stimulation and the pleasure center of the brain also
raised the possibility that nipple stimulation alone could
result in orgasm, something sex researchers previously
estimated that only a “small number” of women could
experience.

5. They Sometimes Come in Threes
It’s not uncommon for a man or a woman to be born
with three nipples (or four, or five, or seven, as one
2012 study details). These extra nipples, known as
“supernumerary nipples,” resemble a mole or mark.
They never develop into actual breasts, and they can
show up anywhere on the body, according to the
National Institutes of Health .

6. Nipples Are Supposed to Be Bumpy
Look closely at your nipples and the surrounding
areolas; they kind of resemble the bumpy, crater-filled
surface of the moon. “Those bumps on the areola can be
hair follicles, ducts, or oil glands that produce
lubricating fluid," says Dweck. "It’s totally normal to
have them."

7. But Sometimes a Bump Is Bad News
A rare form of breast cancer called Paget’s disease can
present itself as a red bump or rash on the nipple or
areola, says Dweck. “It’ll look like an angry skin change
that doesn’t go away,” she says. If you spot this and it
persists for a few weeks, have your doctor take a look.

8. They Don't Love the Gym
Working out is super-healthy for your body as a whole,
but it can be rough on your nipples, which often get
dry, chafed, and even bloody as they rub back and forth
against your sports bra, says Dweck. Dabbing on some
petroleum jelly before a treadmill session will soothe
irritated skin.

9. Nursing Can Do a Number on Them
Soreness, pain, cracking, bleeding—these are just some
of the consequences of having a hungry newborn
attached to your nipples several times a day, says
Dweck. These symptoms tend to disappear as a new
mom gets the hang of it, but if your nipples continue to
suffer, get an assist from your pediatrician or a lactation
consultant.

10. They Can Leak Milk
Nursing moms, you might want to keep an extra blouse
in your purse or glove compartment. It’s a totally freaky
phenomenon, but many breastfeeding women have
found themselves suddenly leaking milk as soon as they
hear the cry of a random infant or baby nearby, says
Dweck.

11. Discharge Can Be a Warning Sign
A little discharge that comes out after you’ve squeezed
your nipple is probably no big deal. “But a white,
creamy discharge that’s released on its own could be a
sign of a non-cancerous growth in the brain,” says
Dweck. Green or black discharge can tip you off to a
benign duct problem. And bloody discharge might mean
breast cancer. If you experience the latter, bring it to
your doctor’s attention.

Source : www.womenshealthmag.com

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