Breast pain does not necessarily mean cancer. Certainly, many women will think about this cancer at the very beginning, but the causes of this ailment can be many. Often it has a completely mundane background, such as poorly selected underwear, muscle strain, carrying a heavy bag, premenstrual tension, or even a poor diet. Nevertheless, breast pain in many situations should not be underestimated. In Poland, still too few women are aware of their own body and how often and how they should examine their breasts.
Often their cause lies in the natural processes taking place in the body of every woman. Breast tenderness appears in adolescents during puberty, and in the period from 20 to 40 years of age indicates fluctuations in hormones. In the case of more mature women, pain may occur during menopause, and after this period it is usually a signal of more serious problems. This is why regular mammograms are so important. Still, breast checkups should be done regardless of age, and certain signs can be cause for concern.
Cause for concern or normal course of things? Causes of breast pain
In addition to PMS, breast pain also occurs during pregnancy and after childbirth. They can be different for each woman – sometimes they will last for a long time, other times only for a short time. The first complaints appear around the fifth week of pregnancy, when the breasts become swollen and oversensitive. In this case, alternately pouring hot and cold water on the breasts, cool compresses and comfortable underwear (e.g. sports bras) help. In the postpartum period, especially in breastfeeding mothers, mastitis is common. The symptoms of inflammation are swelling, redness and sensitivity to touch, and the methods of treatment include expressing milk with a breast pump, healing ointments and cabbage leaf compresses.
Another cause is tumors and diseases, which can take various forms:
- Cysts (cysts) – you can feel the unadvanced ones with your fingers, because they take the form of small nodules. A large cyst will present with pain radiating down to the armpit and is diagnosed by ultrasound and biopsy.
- Papillomas – In this case breast pain is very strong because they form in the milk ducts. They cause clogging, which leads to inflammation and the formation of abscesses. They are most common in women between the ages of forty and fifty. You will recognize it if you notice a clear discharge, sometimes with blood, when you press the nipple.
- Fibroadenomas – with this type of tumor breast pain it only shows up when it’s leaking. It most often appears in women before the age of thirty, and its cause is excessive growth of glandular tissue. Its size depends on the degree of development of the tumor, once it can be the size of a pea, another time – a lemon. Adenoma can develop into cancer, especially in elderly women.
in the presence of cancer, breast pain it appears only when the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters, which is why regular breast self-examination is so important. The earlier we detect cancer, the better. Another cause of soreness is mastopathy, with which there are also thickening and hardness within the breast. They are the result of hormonal disorders, mainly too little progesterone. The pains subside when monthly bleeding begins, then subside. Treatment with hormones is usually necessary after ultrasound and other tests have ruled out cancer.