Many women experience breast pain at least once in their lifetime. There are a number of reasons that can cause the pain and it is not a sign of cancer. Breast pain also called Mastalgia, is very common condition among women. The breast pain is usually categorized as cyclical and non-cyclical pain. Cyclical pain occurs during your menstrual cycle whereas non-cyclical pain occurs in the surrounding tissues and muscles of the breast anytime. Many women experience breast tenderness and fullness, so any cause of discomfort in the breast including sharp pain, tenderness, and soreness need to be checked with the doctor. A thorough examination will be done to rule out the cause. Sometimes your doctor may recommend mammogram, ultrasound, MRI or biopsy tests to determine whether your breast pain is related to cancer. So, before you press the panic button, scroll down the article and read on! If your doctor prescribes any medicines, purchase it online from the best online pharmacy store in India.
Possible causes of breast pain:
- The hormonal change like fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen hormone is one major cause of breast pain. Before the start of the menstrual cycle, these two hormonal changes can cause swelling, tenderness, or soreness in the breasts. The breast pain or tenderness may start three days before your menstrual cycle and may even continue to have throughout your mensuration period.
- You can also notice breast pain during pregnancy, puberty phase and also during menopause.
- Breast undergoes changes as we age. The breast tissue is replaced by fat and starts to develop cysts. These are called fibrocystic breast tissue. It makes the women feel lumpiness and tenderness in the breasts.
- Breastfeeding moms also experience breast pain. This can be due to various reasons like infection in milk ducts (mastitis), engorgement, or improper latching of your baby.
- Indulging on unhealthy diets i.e high on fats and refined carbs can also increase the chance of getting breast pain.
- If you are taking antidepressants, antibiotics, and other medications for heart diseases, then they can also trigger breast pain. Speak to your doctor if it is due to medications. Your doctor may help you to substitute it with other drugs if possible. Order your prescription drugs online from any online medicine store and get the medicines delivered at your doorsteps.
- During smoking your epinephrine levels in the breast tissue increases. This may also cause breast pain.
- Many women also have nipple tenderness; this might be due to dry skin, friction or injury.
- You can also experience breast pain as an early symptom during pregnancy.
- Sometimes exercise can also trigger breast pain.
Self help to ease breast pain:
Here we have listed out a few ways you can to lessen breast pain. These include:
- Reduce stress
- Apply a hot or cold compress
- Wear supportive bras during day and night time. Use a sports bra while exercising
- Reduce your sodium intake
- Say No to caffeinated drinks, alcohol and tobacco
- Exercise regularly to support the endocrine system
- Improve your diet by supplementing high fibre rich foods
- Try to take vitamins and calcium supplements to enhance the endocrine system. Supplements can help to ease hormonal imbalance. Never take any supplements without doctor’s advice as it can interfere with other medications you are taking.
If you have breast pain for more than 2 weeks or having pain at a specific location or showing up unusual symptoms like nipple discharge, change in the size or shape of your breast, lumps, swelling, redness in the breast, then seek medical attention immediately. She may do the physical examination or may recommend you to do imaging tests to visualize the reason for the breast pain. There are several treatments available for breast pain but your doctor will recommend treatments and medications depending upon the test results and severity. If medicines or supplements are prescribed, order medicines online from any reliable online medicine shop.
Lakshmi Krishnanunni: She holds M.Sc., M.Phil in Biochemistry and has strong proficiency in the areas of Immunology, Biomolecules, Cell biology, and Molecular biology to name a few. She has more than 10 years of Research experience in the field of medicinal plants research and Nanotechnology. Her expertise in research has greatly assisted in writing medical, health and research articles. As a writer, she aims to provide research-based information to the readers in more detail.
