Breasts hurt Symptoms and possible causes
You may have breast pain before, during, or after your period. You may also have sore breasts during pregnancy. How can you know what this pain means? Let's find out the causes of breast pain before menstruation vs. during early pregnancy and other symptoms.
Why do my nipples hurt?
Breast pain, known as mastalgia, is common among women. You may have breast tenderness, tightness of the breast tissues, or a shooting, burning pain.
In general, this pain is classified as cyclical or non-cyclical. Cyclical breast pain is linked to the menstrual cycle and usually, reduces after menstruation. This pain is often described as heavy, dull, or sharp. It can be related to swelling or lumps in the breasts. In general, it affects both breasts, especially the outer and upper areas, and can extend to the armpits.
Non-cyclical breast pain is not associated with the menstrual cycle. It can be intermittent or constant and is described as aching, burning, or pressing. It usually affects only one breast and can be present in a specific area of the chest.
Breast pain before menstruation:
The tenderness and swelling of the breasts before menstruation are frequent complaints of women. These symptoms may be part of a disorder called premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Having extreme pain, swelling, and tenderness in the breasts before menstruation can also indicate fibrocystic disease.
Changes in hormone levels can cause most episodes of severe pain in the breasts before menstruation. During a woman's normal menstrual cycle, levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone vary. These hormones prepare your reproductive system and your breasts for a possible pregnancy. Estrogen causes enlargement of the breast ducts.
Progesterone causes swelling of the mammary glands. These changes can cause pain in your breasts. The estrogen hormone peaks in the middle of the cycle, while the progesterone hormone increases during the week before the start of your period.
The main signs and symptoms of breast pain before menstruation are heaviness and tenderness in both breasts. Some women feel a dull ache in their breasts. Breast tissues can feel thick or dense to the touch. Symptoms can appear a week before your period and gradually disappear after it. Most women do not experience severe breast pain before menstruation.
Breast pain before menstruation may decrease as you approach menopause, due to the natural changes in your hormone levels that occur with age.
How to reduce breast pain before menstruation:
You can relieve breast pain before your period with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) available without a prescription, such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen sodium. These medications can also help relieve menstrual cramps.
Women with moderate to severe breast pain before menstruation should visit their doctor for the best possible treatment. Diuretics can decrease water retention, swelling, and sensitivity. However, you have to be careful with the use of these medications and take them under medical supervision.
Oral contraceptive pills can relieve your symptoms of breast swelling and pain before your period. Ask your doctor about these pills if you have severe breast pain before your period and have no plans to get pregnant anytime soon.
If you have severe breast pain before your period, your doctor may prescribe the drug Danazol, used to treat endometriosis and fibrocystic disease. However, this drug can have severe side effects. Therefore, it should only be prescribed when other treatments do not work.
How to reduce breast pain before menstruation through lifestyle changes:
You can make some lifestyle changes to manage breast pain during menstruation. You can put on a sports bra to give your breasts more support when pain and swelling symptoms are at their worst. You can also keep your bra on when you sleep at night for extra support.
Your diet can play a vital role in causing breast pain before menstruation. Alcohol, caffeine, and foods high in salt and fat can increase breast pain before menstruation. Eliminating from your diet or reducing the consumption of these foods and drinks during the week before your period can be useful to control or prevent symptoms of breast pain before menstruation. Eat foods low in fat and high in fiber and a wide variety of whole grains and fruit.
Some minerals and vitamins can also help relieve breast pain before menstruation, in addition to other premenstrual symptoms. Calcium, magnesium, vitamin E, and vitamin B6 have been shown to help relieve symptoms. Check with your doctor before taking vitamins or supplements to make sure they are safe for you.
You can also include a variety of foods rich in these nutrients in your diet. Some of these foods are corn, olives, olive, canola and safflower, peanuts, spinach, hazelnuts, carrots, oat bran, bananas, brown rice, and avocados.
Breast pain before menstruation: should you be concerned:
Levels of the hormone progesterone peak during the week before your period begins. Progesterone causes swelling of the mammary glands, resulting in symptoms of breast pain a week before menstruation, in addition to swelling and tenderness in the breasts. Therefore, having premenstrual breast pain during that week is completely normal and you don't have to worry.
Breast pain two weeks before menstruation: what does it indicate:
Breast pain two weeks before menstruation can be caused by hormonal fluctuations that occur around the middle of the menstrual cycle or when you ovulate. The breast ducts increase in size due to the hormone estrogen. This can cause breast pain two weeks before your period, with sore and heavy breasts.
Breast pain during menstruation:
Breast pain that begins a week or two before your period may persist during your period and gradually decrease when it ends. If you have breast pain after your period, it may not be related to your period. Instead of being associated with menstruation, breast pain after menstruation can be non-cyclical and caused by different reasons. It can affect one breast or both breasts. There are several reasons that cause breast pain after menstruation and they can be pregnancy, trauma to a breast, an improperly sized bra, mastitis, fibrocystic breast changes, costochondritis, and back, shoulder, or neck strains. Taking certain medications, such as antidepressants, hormonal oral contraceptives, antipsychotics, etc., can also cause breast pain after menstruation. Breast surgery and the formation of scar tissue can also result in breast pain.
Most breast cancers are painless. However, you should see a doctor immediately if you have breast pain after menstruation that does not decrease, and if you have any of the following symptoms:
- A lump in the breast
- Any discharge from the nipple, be it clear or bloody
- Chest pain for no reason or that doesn't get better
- Symptoms of a breast infection, including pus, fever, redness, or affections
- Chest pain or lump that doesn't get better
- Breast pain due to menstruation vs. pregnancy: what is the difference?
Among the first symptoms of pregnancy for many women are changing in their breasts. Pregnancy affects the body's levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen promotes enlargement of the breast ducts, and progesterone promotes the growth and formation of milk-producing cells. Therefore, these hormonal changes can make your breasts swollen, sore, or tender to the touch in early pregnancy. You can also feel your breasts fuller and heavier. These breast changes usually occur between one and two weeks after conception and can be sustained as long as your progesterone levels are elevated during pregnancy.
During breast pain associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS), tenderness, and swelling can occur during the second half of your menstrual cycle. Symptoms are usually at their highest intensity just before your period begins. What's more, symptoms can be more severe in women of reproductive age. Your breasts may feel thick and lumpy, especially in the outer area. To differentiate between breast pain during menstruation and during pregnancy, pain during menstruation may be dull and the breasts may feel heavy and full. The pain may gradually subside when your period ends.
Breast pain is common among women:
It can be classified as cyclical or non-cyclical. Cyclical breast pain is associated with your menstrual cycle and improves when menstruation ends. Fluctuations in hormone levels during your normal menstrual cycle cause breast soreness before menstruation. You may feel sore breasts before your period as heaviness and tenderness in both breasts.
Symptoms can appear a week before the start of your period and gradually decrease after your period. You can take over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve breast pain. You can also make some lifestyle changes to ease the pain. Breast pain after your period that doesn't go away may not be related to your menstrual cycle. There are many causes of breast pain after menstruation.
If you have breast pain that is not related to the menstrual cycle, does not subside, and is accompanied by a lump, discharge from the nipples, or signs of a breast infection, see your doctor without delay.
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