Breast pain: main causes and what to do

Breast pain, known scientifically as mastalgia, is a relatively common symptom that affects about 70% of women, and that, most of the time, is caused by strong hormonal changes, such as during menstruation or menopause.

However, the pain can also be related to other more serious situations such as breastfeeding mastitis, presence of cysts in the breast, or even breast cancer. Therefore, if breast pain or discomfort remains for more than 15 days or if it appears to be unrelated to menstruation or menopause, you should go to the gynecologist for an evaluation, and if necessary, perform tests.

Breast pain can still occur in just one breast or both at the same time, and can even radiate to the arm. This breast pain can be mild, being considered normal, but it can also be severe preventing the accomplishment of daily tasks. Here are the most common causes of breast pain:

1. Beginning of Puberty

Girls between 10 and 14 years old, who are entering puberty, may experience a little pain or discomfort in the breasts that are starting to grow, and become more painful.

What to do: No specific treatment is necessary, but bathing in warm water can relieve discomfort. At this stage it is also important to wear a bra that provides good support for the size of the breast.

2. PMS or menstruation

Before and during menstruation, hormonal changes can cause pain in the breast of some women, which is not serious, despite being uncomfortable every month. In these cases, the woman may experience small stitches in the breast or increased sensitivity, even in the nipple. When the pain is mild or moderate and lasts from 1 to 4 days, it is considered normal, but when it lasts more than 10 days and radiates to the arm or armpit, it must be evaluated by a gynecologist or mastologist.

What to do: You rarely need to take medication, but continued use of the birth control pill can help relieve symptoms with each menstrual period. When the pain is very uncomfortable, the gynecologist may recommend taking Bromocriptine, Danazol and Tamoxifen, or as natural options, Agnus Castus, Evening Primrose Oil, or Vitamin E, which must be taken for 3 months in order to evaluate the results.

3. Pregnancy

The breasts can be especially sensitive at the beginning and end of pregnancy, due to the growth of the mammary glands and the production of breast milk, for example. If you suspect you may be pregnant, check out the first 10 symptoms of pregnancy.

What to do: placing warm compresses can help relieve discomfort, as well as taking a bath with warm water and lightly massage the area. In pregnancy it is also recommended to use a breastfeeding bra for better support of the breasts.

4. Breastfeeding

During breastfeeding when the breasts are full of milk, the breasts can become stiff and very sore, but if the pain is sharp and located in the nipple, it can indicate a crack, which causes intense pain and even bleeding.

What to do: If the breast is full of milk the best strategy is to breastfeed or express the milk with a breast pump. If the nipples are sore, the area should be carefully observed to see if there is any clogged duct or crack in the pain site, which prevents the passage of milk, which can cause mastitis, which is a more serious situation. Thus, if you have problems with breastfeeding, the nurse specialist in obstetrics can personally indicate what to do to solve this problem. Learn to solve this and other common breastfeeding problems.

5. Use of medicines

Taking certain medications, such as Aldomet, Aldactone, Digoxin, Anadrol and Chlorpromazine has side effects on breast pain.

What to do: The doctor should be informed about the appearance of this symptom and also its intensity. The doctor may check the possibility of taking another medication that does not cause mastalgia.

6. Cysts in the breast

Some women have irregular breast tissue called fibrocystic sinuses, which can cause pain especially before menstruation. This type of problem is not linked to cancer, but it also causes the formation of lumps in the breasts that can grow or disappear on their own.

What to do: In cases where the pain is not related to menstruation, medications such as Tylenol, Aspirin or Ibuprofen can be used, under medical advice. Find out how the treatment for breast cyst is done.

7. Change of contraceptive

When starting to take or changing contraceptives, breast pain may appear, which may be mild or moderate and usually affects both breasts at the same time, and there may also be a burning sensation.

What to do: Massage while bathing and wearing a comfortable bra can be a good solution as long as the body does not adapt to the contraceptive pill, which can take 2 to 3 months.

Other possible causes

In addition to these causes, there are many other situations, such as trauma, physical exercise, thromblophlebitis, sclerosing adenosis, benign tumors or macrocysts, which can be clarified by the gynecologist or mastologist.

Thus, if breast pain remains present even with the home remedies that we indicate here, a consultation is recommended so that the doctor can make the diagnosis and indicate the most appropriate treatment for each situation.

When pain can be a sign of cancer

Breast pain is rarely a sign of cancer, as malignant tumors usually do not cause pain. In the case of breast cancer, other symptoms must be present such as discharge from the nipple, depression in a part of the breast. Check out the 12 symptoms of breast cancer.

The women most at risk of having breast cancer are those who have a mother or grandparent with breast cancer, over 45 years of age, and those who have already had some type of cancer. Young women, who breastfed and who had only benign lesions or even a benign breast cyst are no longer at risk for breast cancer.

In any case, in case of suspicion, you should go to the gynecologist to investigate and perform the mammogram after 40 years of age.

When to go to the doctor

You should see your doctor when your chest pain is severe or lasts for more than 10 consecutive days, or if it appears together with symptoms such as:

• Clear or bloody discharge from the nipple; Redness or pus in the breast; Fever or Emergence of a lump in the breast that disappears after the menstrual period.

In addition, it is important to go to the gynecologist at least once a year to have tests that assess the health of the breast and reproductive system, preventing problems and identifying diseases early on.

The doctor usually evaluates the breasts by observing the location of the pain, if there are changes such as asymmetry or retraction of the breast at some point, and also looks for inflamed or painful areas in the armpits or clavicles, to check if there is a need to order tests such as mammography, ultrasound or ultrasound of the breast, especially if there are cases of breast cancer in the family.