Hello Maureen, as a response to your question as to whether the areola of the mom I examined was bulgy...no it was the nipples. It was specificallly nipple discomfort with palpation of the nipple, and the nipples felt like varicoceles...weakened veins (like what I feel in scrotums or large bulgy varicose veins on the legs). I could actually see the nipples looking irregular and bulgy, as opposed to sleek along the sides of the nipples. She did not pump much, and the pain was not associated just with pumping.-Anne Eglash MD