Breast pain is a cause for worry among many women but even though it’s really annoying, it’s generally no cause for concern.
There are several reasons your breast hurts and below are some of the reasons
1. MENSTRUATION
It’s normal to have breast pain when your period is on its way due to change in hormones that come along with your period. Breast pain associated with your menstrual cycle is called cyclic pain and it usually goes away when your period ends. In fact, if your cycles are regular, you can use breast soreness to actually feel when your period is on its way.
2. PREGNANCY
Pregnancy might just be the reason you feel the pain in your breast. Progesterone which is the same hormone that causes breast soreness during your menstrual cycle is also produced in the early days of a pregnancy. Breast pain during pregnancy is often more extreme and lasts for a longer time than breast pain during periods. The pain is more pronounced during the first trimester of pregnancy.
3. BREAST SIZE
If you have large breasts, the breast pain you feel could be related to your breast size. Neck, shoulder and back pain may accompany breast pain due to large breasts.
4. HIGH CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION
If you consume too much caffeine and you experience breast pain, your caffeine consumption might be the reason especially in women with fibrocystic breasts. Even though no study have proved coffee and tea can directly cause breast pain, several studies have shown that cutting caffeine intake can help alleviate discomfort.
5. MASTITIS
While women who are lactating can have breast pain, an intense pain in the breast could be a sign of mastitis. Mastitis occurs when blockage of the milk ducts causes inflammation in the breast. Some of the symptoms of mastitis are breast pain, fever and reddening of the breast area.
6. LUMPY BREASTS
Lumpy breasts due to fibrocystic breast tissue can cause breast soreness and pain. You should however note that lumpy breasts are not necessarily linked to breast cancer.
7. MEDICATION USE
Certain medications including some infertility treatments and oral birth control pills may be associated with breast pain. Breast pain may be associated with certain antidepressants including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants.
8. WRONG BRA
Using the wrong bra can cause you to have breast pain. It’s important you wear the right bra as wearing a bra that is too tight might cause it to pinch and poke your breasts leading to sore breasts while wearing a bra that doesn’t support your breast properly will lead to breast tenderness.
9. BREAST SURGERY
If you have had a breast surgery, it could be the cause of the breast pain. Sometimes even after incisions from the breast surgery have healed, breast pain associated with breast surgery can linger.
It’s also important to note that breast pain is not usually linked to breast cancer and having breast pain or fibrocystic breasts doesn’t also mean you are at a higher risk of developing cancer.
It’s important you see a doctor if breast pain continues daily for a more than a couple of weeks, occurs in one specific area of your breast and seems to get worse with time.
S.O.Z