Many women relate breast pain to breast cancer, which causes them to get worried. Nonetheless, most cases of breast pain are not related to this disease. That’s why it is good to know other reasons why your breasts may hurt.
Most women tend to have breast pain at many times in their lives because it is a common symptom of hormonal changes from menstruation or pregnancy. Inflammation and sensitivity in your breasts or during your period are very common that isn’t related to anything serious and can simply be caused by a hormonal change.
If you don’t find abnormalities when doing a self breast exam, but you experience frequent pain in them, it is possible that other benign diseases are influencing it. Next we will tell you about the most common causes for breast pain.
Hormonal Causes
In general, teenagers that start their menstrual cycle tend to feel a certain pain in their breast. PMS can even cause pain before menstruation.
Many women suffer from breast pain during their fertile years, with it more frequent halfway through their menstrual cycle and coinciding with ovulation and the days before menstruation. These two cycle phases coincide with more sudden change in feminine hormone levels.
Also, the use of anti-contraceptive pills and hormone replacement therapy can be other influences of this problem.
Pregnancy
One of the first symptoms of pregnancy is breast pain. A woman tends to experience more sensitivity when they are pregnant at a young age or during their first pregnancy. Generally, during the first trimester of pregnancy they experience pain, their breasts grow in size, and blue veins become visible that indicate increase in blood flow.
Breastfeeding
When a woman has just had a child, she will tend to experience breast pain independent of if she chooses to breast feed or not due to the increase in milk. But you should pay special attention if the pain is frequent, intense, or doesn’t improve, because it can indicate possible mastitis.
Mastitis
This problem is an inflammation of the breasts, which comes from the obstruction of the milk ducts. This happens due to an infection in the breast, caused by a virus, bacteria, or fungus. The symptoms that you should be aware of are reddening in the breasts, pain, and especially fever.
Cysts in the Breasts
Breast cysts are a type of sack filled with liquid that form inside the breasts. These are formed when normal mammary glands increase in size, which can be just one or more. These cysts tend to be benign and are characterized by producing pain in the breasts. When they are big in size, you can feel them by touching them, but some require a mammogram or a sonogram to be detected.
Abscesses in the Breasts
Breast abscesses are accumulations of pus in the mammary tissue. Basically, it is an infection. This problem can produce breast pain, they may feel like soft bulges, and is generally caused by bacteria that enter the breasts through cracks in the nipples or from breastfeeding problems. Independent of their cause, the best idea is to consult a doctor so they can do the necessary exams and offer the proper treatment.
Breast Cancer
As we mentioned in the beginning, many women tend to relate breast pain with breast cancer but in general this is not the case. Breast pain is one of symptoms that takes the longest to appear when you are suffering from breast cancer. It is possible that if a women detects any abnormalities in their breasts and treats it on time, they won’t feel any breast pain from cancer.
Recommendations for Preventing and Treating Breast Pain
Generally, it isn’t necessary to take medicine to relieve breast pain. What you can keep in mind is that there are some lifestyle changes you can do to help treat and prevent this problem.
Avoid wearing bras that are too small.
Have a healthy diet that is low in fat and rich in fruit, vegetables, and grains.
Keep a balanced weight because it will help stabilize hormone levels
Increase your consumption of vitamins B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B1 (thiamine), and vitamin E.
You can apply home remedies for pain like water lemon juice, vinegar, or coffee compresses.
