Breast Pain Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment.

July 13, 2011 No comments

What is Breast Pain.

Simply put, breast pain or breast tenderness is pain in the breast. The medical terminology for breast pain is Mastalgia, Mastodynia or breast tenderness. It can be left breast pain or right breast pain or pain in both the breasts. It can also manifest as pain in chest and breast or it could be pain in side of breast or pain below the breast.

Again it could be severe breast pain or mild pain. It could be constant or chronic breast pain or occasional. It could also be breast pain with tenderness and soreness. The pain could be a burning pain or a tightness in the breast tissue.

The above description tells of the variations of the pain in the breast, each having its own causes, some of which are serious and some are not.

Breast Pain and Tenderness.

Breast pain is more common among premenopausal women where sometimes the pain may be present throughout the menstrual cycle. However rarely post menopausal women also develop breast pain

Throughout the life of a woman from the time she develops the breasts to menopause, breast changes occur which cause the pain in the breast. These changes occur during menstruation, pregnancy and due to aging. During menstruation and pregnancy the breast pain and tenderness are due to hormonal changes.

When to see the Doctor.

Usually the cause of breast pain is a non malignant condition. But it must be investigated especially when the breast pain is persistent and unexplained. It should be noted here that breast cancers are painless.

Types of Breast Pain.

Some breast swelling and breast tenderness is quite commonly seen just before menstruation. Pain associated with menstruation is called cyclic breast pain. When it does not follow any pattern, it is called non cyclic breast pain. Cyclical breast pain accounts for 75% of all breast pain complaints.

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