Women should not assume that a newly developed lump is a cyst. If a new lump lasts longer than two to three menstrual cycles with no decrease in size, it is recommended that you see your doctor.
There are two reasons to aspirate (drain) a breast cyst:
- The breast cyst causes pain or discomfort. Aspirating the cyst can provide long-lasting symptom relief. However, aspirating the cyst does not completely remove the cyst, only the fluid inside the cyst is removed.
It is not clear that the breast cyst is benign. A cyst can be a “complex cyst”, which means that there may be debris in the cyst. If there is debris in the cyst, your physician will aspirate the cyst in order to determine its malignancy.