Breast pain (mastalgia) is a common complaint among women. You might describe your breast pain as chronic tenderness, sharp burning or tightness in your breast tissue. The pain may be constant or it may occur only occasionally.
Some women have severe breast pain, occurring more than five days a month, Severe breast pain may even persist throughout the menstrual cycle. Postmenopausal women sometimes have breast pain, but the symptom is more common in younger, premenopausal women and perimenopausal women.
Most times, breast pain signals a noncancerous (benign) breast condition and rarely signifies breast cancer. Still, unexplained breast pain that doesn't go away after your next menstrual cycle or that persists after menopause needs to be evaluated by your doctor.
Most cases of breast pain are classified as either cyclic or noncyclic. Each type of breast pain has distinct characteristics.
Breast pain characteristics | |
Cyclic breast pain | Noncyclic breast pain |
· Clearly related to the menstrual cycle · Described as dull, heavy or aching · Often accompanied by breast swelling or lumpiness · Usually affects both breasts, particularly the upper, outer portions, and can radiate to the underarm · Intensifies during the two weeks leading up to the start of your period, then eases up afterward · Usually affects premenopausal women in their 20s and 30s and perimenopausal women in their 40s | · Unrelated to the menstrual cycle · Described as tight, burning or sore · Constant or intermittent · Usually affects one breast, in a localized area, but may spread more diffusely across the breast · Usually affects postmenopausal women |
Extramammary breast pain
Extramammary breast pain feels like it originates in the breast, but its source is actually somewhere else. Pulling a muscle in your chest, for example, can cause pain in your chest wall or rib cage.
Extramammary breast pain feels like it originates in the breast, but its source is actually somewhere else. Pulling a muscle in your chest, for example, can cause pain in your chest wall or rib cage.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if:
Make an appointment with your doctor if:
· You have breast pain that persists daily for more than a couple of weeks
· Your breast pain is localized to one specific area of your breast
· Your breast pain seems to be getting worse over time
· Your breast pain interferes with daily activities
Although it's not a common symptom of breast cancer, localized breast pain is associated with breast cancer in a small percentage of women.
Most of the time, it's not possible to identify the exact cause of breast pain. Likely contributors are:
· Reproductive hormones. Cyclic breast pain appears to have a strong link to hormones and your menstrual cycle. Cyclic breast pain often decreases or disappears with pregnancy or menopause so experts theorize that hormones play a role. However, no studies have identified a particular hormonal abnormality as a contributor to cyclic breast pain.
· Anatomical factors. The cause of noncyclic breast pain is likely to be anatomical rather than hormonal, triggered by breast cysts, breast trauma, prior breast surgery or other factors localized to the breast. Noncyclic breast pain may also originate outside the breast — in the chest wall, muscles, joints or heart, for example — and radiate to the breast.
· Fatty acid imbalance. An imbalance of fatty acids within the cells may affect the sensitivity of breast tissue to circulating hormones. This theory provides the rationale for taking evening primrose oil capsules as a remedy for breast pain. Evening primrose oil contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a type of fatty acid. GLA is thought to restore the fatty acid balance and decrease the sensitivity of breast tissue to circulating hormone levels.
Breast size. Women with large breasts may have noncyclic breast pain related primarily to the size of their breasts. This type of breast discomfort is typically accompanied by neck, shoulder and back pain. Some studies have shown that breast reduction surgery sometimes reduces these symptoms. Breast surgery itself, however, also causes pain, which may linger after the incisions have healed.
