The short explanation
A painful, red swelling near the nipple with pus and fever, when you are not breastfeeding, can be a breast infection or abscess. In women who are not breastfeeding, these often start in the ducts behind the nipple, and smoking is a known factor. It needs to be seen by a doctor today, because an abscess may need draining and infection can spread. Please do not try to squeeze or open it yourself, as that can push infection deeper.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- A doctor will examine the area and often use an ultrasound to see if there is a collection of pus. Treatment may include medicines chosen by the doctor and, if there is an abscess, drainage with a needle or a small cut.
- These infections can come back. If they do, doctors look for a cause such as a problem duct, and sometimes suggest a small operation to remove it.
- Once the infection has cleared, the doctor may want to check that the area has fully returned to normal, because inflammatory changes in the breast sometimes need a scan to make sure nothing else is behind them.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what is causing the swelling. Examination today, and possibly an ultrasound, are needed.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Is this an abscess, and does it need draining?
- What treatment do I need, and when should it improve?
- Why might this have happened, and could it come back?
- Do I need a follow-up scan once it settles?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department if you feel faint, confused, very drowsy, breathless, or have a high fever with a racing heart.
Get help the same day
- Get care today for a red, painful breast swelling with pus or fever.
Book an appointment soon
- See a clinician within a few days if the swelling has not improved after treatment starts.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a follow-up after treatment to make sure the area has fully settled.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Mastitis NHS
- Breast diseases MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Breast cancer — symptoms NHS
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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