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Breast pain is a common condition where a woman feels tightness , tenderness, soreness or sharp pain in one or both breasts. Breast pain doesn’t always mean any severe health issues but it shouldn’t be ignored.
There are 3 kinds of breast pain.
1. Cyclical pain:
It begins a week or 10 days before your menstrual cycle/periods and usually subsides either once your period starts or once your period is over. This is completely normal and does not require any kind of treatment. If the pain is too troublesome, visit your doctor. They might advise the local application of ice, some painkillers, or some supplements for the same. Do not self medicate, always visit a doctor.
2. Non-cyclical pain:
It usually does not correspond with your period/ menstrual cycle and is usually in one of the breasts. Visit your doctor who will do a clinical examination and may advise one the of the following investigations:
- Mammogram
- Sonomammogram
- Ultrasound
The most common conditions responsible for non-cyclical breast pain are:
- Fibrocystic disease of the breast
- Water filled cysts in the breast
- Duct Ectasia
These conditions are normal and are usually because of changes in the levels of the hormone in your body and they subside spontaneously without any treatment.
3. Musculoskeletal pain:
If you have just started working out or you're working out after a long gap and you do upper body exercises like push-ups, pull-ups or bench presses. You may end up having pain in your breast.
What can be done?
- Wear a well-supported bra.
- Visit a doctor and take painkillers if your doctor advises you to.
- Wait for about 2 to 3 days for the soreness to subside by itself.
If you are a breastfeeding mother and you have pain in your breast, it could be because of milk getting accumulated in your breast causing heaviness and pain in your breast. You can visit a doctor. If you notice a lump, redness and increase in temperature your doctor might suggest you get a test done to know if the lump is infected. Depending upon the size and severity of the symptoms, the doctor will advise either medical or surgical management.