Breast Pain, What is the reason of Breast Pain?
Breast pain and tenderness is a usual symptom that accompanies menopause period. It is caused by instable balance of hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone. Breast pain can be experienced by women after menopause, but it is more common for women of pre- and perimenopausal periods.
Breast pain is very popular symptom among women of almost all ages. Statistic shows that about 70% of women experience pain in breast during the life time. 10% of women feel severe pains in breast that bring much discomfort in everyday life, relationships and professional activities.
The only way to prevent yourself from painful symptoms during menopause is to study the problem and understand its nature. This article is aimed to help women that struggle from breast pain.
Breast Pain in Details
Breast pain has many scientific names, like mammalgia, mazodynia or mastalgia. All these terms mean the same – increased breast tenderness, pains in breasts of different strength and discomfort due to abnormal feelings in mammary glands.
Breast pains can be cyclical (regular) or acyclic. The first type of pains is usually caused by hormonal changes, it is typical for women during menopause or before it. Acyclic breast pain has nothing with hormonal misbalance, and it is more common for postmenopausal period. Besides two aforementioned breast pain types there is a third kind of breast discomfort – extramammary pain that occurs outside the breast.
The breast pain display is different among women, it depends on individual characteristics of each woman. As a rule, breast pain symptoms include increased tenderness, painful feelings in the breasts area (one or both), swelling, and the feel of burning. Sometimes it is accompanied with breasts hardening.
What is the reason of Breast Pain?
The most widespread reason of breast pains is age-related hormonal changes during menopause. Such stages as pregnancy, menstruation and menopause cause the changes of estrogen and progesterone hormones level that influence on female organism causing various disorders. The result of such changes is breast pain.
Hormones are not the only reason for breast discomfort. Other less common reasons also can take place.
These are:
-Breast tumors and cyst
-Past breast surgeries
-Various traumas
-Emotional instability and stresses
-Breast size
-Birth control pills intake
-Mastitis
-Various medicines like antidepressants, hormone replacement therapy and heart medicines.
-Alcohol and drugs
Potential Diagnosis for Breast Pain
Breast pain is a symptom that should be discussed with a doctor, because it can be caused not only by menopause, which is the most common reason. Also it may be a symptom of other disorders, in rare cases it can indicate a cancer. To eliminate these potential diagnoses, consult a doctor. He also will help to find helpful treatment to relief pains and breast tenderness.
Sometimes it is impossible to set an exact diagnosis without additional tests available only at clinic. The detailed diagnostics gives the best changes for correct diagnosis and treatment. Sometimes a doctor can prescribe medications after a common physical examination and a few questions. Anyway, don’t use self-treatment, it is better to consult a professional.
Breast Pain Therapy
Currently a wide range of natural therapies are available for treating breast pains during menopausal period. Natural medicines are good for having no side effects, while some measures like diets or physical exercises, relaxation practices can significantly improve menopausal course.
The measures described above can significantly relief pains but they don’t remove the cause of brain pains, like hormonal imbalance. Natural therapies may help in this, by normalizing the level of hormones in female organism. They are safe and reliable methods of treatment that combined with self-care measures can bring successful results in fighting menopausal breast pains.
Most of medics recommend first try all these measures and only if they don’t bring expected pain relief, a patient can use chemical medications for stronger effect. Don’t use chemicals before trying natural therapy, as it is rather risky way of treatment that should be used only when there is no alternative.
For more effective results, you should change your lifestyle properly, start doing exercises, aerobics, and make some diet changes. All this is very helpful in combination with herbals and other therapies. Ask your doctor what is the most useful in your case.