Breast pain can be caused by various factors such as menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, infection, fatty acid imbalance, and rarely, breast cancer. Hormonal changes during menstruation and pregnancy can cause breast tenderness, while breastfeeding can cause soreness. Mastitis is a breast infection that can cause extreme discomfort and is treated with antibiotics. Fatty acid imbalance can be treated with evening primrose oil. Any sudden or unusual breast pain should be discussed with a doctor.
There can be many causes of breast pain, some more serious than others. Menstruation is a common cause, as are pregnancy and breastfeeding. It can also be caused by an infection, fatty acid imbalance and, less commonly, can be a sign of breast cancer.
Hormonal changes that accompany menstruation along with water retention can cause breast pain. Immediately before menstruation begins, a woman’s body is flooded with hormones that can increase both the size of the breasts and their sensitivity, thus making the area heavy and sore. The discomfort typically eases towards the end of a woman’s period.
One of the most common early pregnancy signs is breast pain. As with menstruation, the sudden surge in hormones that occurs with pregnancy can cause breast tenderness. As pregnancy progresses, the milk ducts begin to prepare for breastfeeding. Many women experience a significant increase in breast size, two to three cup sizes, during their second and third trimesters. This rapid increase in size can strain the muscles behind the breasts and stretch the skin, making the area much more sensitive. Wearing a non-wired cotton bra with thick straps can help relieve some of the pain.
Breast pain is extremely common during the first month or two of breastfeeding. When a woman’s milk comes, which can cause encouragement, it often makes her breasts hard and very sore. Feeding on demand and completely draining at least one breast per nursing can help eliminate this problem and regulate milk production. Once a breastfeeding relationship is well established, milk production regulates and breast pain is usually eliminated.
A breast infection, known as mastitis, can also be a cause of breast pain. While it is more common in women who are breastfeeding, it can also occur in women who are not. The infection causes swelling of the breast tissue, which in turn puts pressure on the milk ducts, thus causing extreme discomfort. The pain is typically accompanied by flu-like symptoms, including fever, pain, and fatigue; mastitis is typically treated with a two-week course of antibiotics.
An imbalance in fatty acids causes breast tissue to be much more sensitive to hormones that can cause breast pain. This health issue is typically much more noticeable immediately before menstruation, although it typically doesn’t go away by the end of a woman’s period. For treatment, doctors typically recommend taking a daily dose of evening primrose oil, which is believed to help restore fatty acid balance.
In rare cases, breast pain can be a sign of breast cancer. A tumor can put more pressure on the tissues and milk ducts of the breast; this can cause pain, tenderness, or sharp pain depending on the location. Any unusual or sudden onset of breast pain should always be discussed with a doctor to determine the severity of the situation.
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