Breast Pain ( Mastalgia) :-
Breast pain is a natural part of a woman’s menstrual cycle, frequently taking place about a week before you get your period. Luckily this type of pain cyclic breast pain can be simply controlled and managed from specific medications and changes in lifestyle.
Breast pain is also known as mastalgia, is a extreme usual condition, mostly among women aged from 30 to 50. It affects about 70% of women at some point in their life.
Some of the times, you can feel a sharp breast pain that is literally coming from deep down in your chest. This is mentioned to as chest wall pain.
Types of Breast Pain :-
There are two types of breast pain, they are :
( A ) Cyclic breast pain -
This type of breast pain lines up with your menstrual cycle. Due to that, it is more usual in 20-to-50-year-old women and it is specially usual in women who are on the younger end of that range. You can have breast pain in one breast or both, and it generally take place because if the natural hormonal shifts. Hardly before a week your period, you can start to feel a little pain in the upper, outer parts of your breasts. Cyclic breast pain goes away naturally once you get your period, but returns during your next menstrual cycle. Most women do not undergo this type of breast pain after menopause.
( B ) Noncyclic breast pain -
This type of breast pain has nothing to do with your menstrual cycle, and is more usual in 40-to-50-year-old women.
Causes of Breast Pain :-
Cyclic breast pain is frequently activated by your natural menstrual cycle, but noncyclic breast pain causes can involve :
• Birth control pills.
• Pregnancy.
• Infection.
• Inflammation.
• Infertility medications.
• Hormone therapy.
• Prior radiation therapy.
• Antidepressants.
• Breast cysts.
• Fibroadenomas (non-cancerous lumps).
• Costochondritis.
• Having larger breasts.
• Surgical scars.
There are also certain activities that can give rise to noncyclic breast pain,
they are -
• Smoking.
• Caffeine consumption.
• Stress.
• Breastfeeding.
In most of the cases, there is no clear cause for breast pain.
Symptoms of Breast Pain :-
Your symptoms will vary depending on if you’re suffering from cyclic or noncyclic breast pain. During cyclic breast pain, your breasts will probably feel :
• Tender.
• Swollen.
• Heavy.
• Sore.
The seriousness of the pain can be different for every person, and for some, it can lay out to your armpit and shoulders too. The symptoms of noncyclic breast pain are a tiny different, and are as follows :
• The pain will be limited to one particular area in your breast.
• A keen, more acute pain.
• A burning, stabbing sensation in that one area.
These symptoms of noncyclic breast pain can come and go over time, or can stay for a long time.
Diagnosis of Breast Pain :-
Before doing a breast exam, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, how long you have been under going them and the serioudness and frequency of your pain. During the breast exam, they will survey your breasts for any possible lumps. They can also ask you to lean forward during the exam to assess whether the pain is coming from your breast or from inside your chest. Your doctor can also order a mammogram or an ultrasound, but whether or not you need either of these imaging tests will depend on a few different factors, involving :
• Your particular type of pain.
• The findings from the breast exam.
• Your age.
• The length of time between your last breast-imaging procedure.
Treatment of Breast Pain :-
Since cyclic breast pain is a daily part of your menstrual cycle, it does not need as much treatment. There are pain-relieving medications you can take to help with your symptoms if the pain is not manageable, including :
• Acetaminophen,
• Ibuprofen
• Aspirin,
• Diclofenac,
If your breast pain is more critical then your doctor can suggest Danazol or Tamoxifen, which are two recommended medications. But these two medications also have particular side effects, which is why it is necessary to talk with your doctor before taking them, to find iut whether it will be worth it for your particular case.
There are also a few other treatment methods that you can use to help relieve from thepain, including :
• Wearing a well-fitting, supportive bra.
• Taking Vitamin E supplements and other multivitamins.
• Remove caffeine from your diet.
• Avoiding tobacco products.
• Using evening primrose oil.
• Applying heat to the most painful area on your breast, be sure to protect your skin.
• Taking magnesium supplements. If you take these during your menstrual cycle, hardly two weeks before your period, it can help relieve some of your symptoms.
• Applying over-the-counter trolamine salicylate cream to ease aches and pains.
• Relaxation and complementary therapy.
Your doctor can suggest using some of the same medications to treat the symptoms of noncyclic breast pain. However, if they can find the underlying cause of your pain, they can take out it and relieve your symptoms.
Prevention of Breast Pain :-
Since cyclic breast pain is a daily part of your menstrual cycle, you can not exactly cure it. But there are certain lifestyle changes you can make to make sure that your symptoms would not be as bad, and to help cure noncyclic breast pain, which include :
• Stop your caffeine intake, or cutting it out altogether.
• Eating a very low-fat diet.
• Wearing a supportive sports bra that fits perfect well, mostly while you’re exercising.