receive email messages every day from women worried that their breast pain means something ominous, like breast cancer. Actually, breast pain is a common symptom, especially in teenagers and women who are nearing menopause. I reassure these women that statistics are on their side: Only about 10% of women diagnosed with breast cancer experience breast pain as a symptom. Much more often breast pain is associated with one of the following:
Hormonal changes. As hormone levels rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle, breast tissue can become tender and, in some women, quite uncomfortable. A classic example of hormone-induced pain may occur in women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy, a time when hormones are surging and breasts are starting to prepare for lactation. Doctors usually determine that hormonal changes are to blame for breast pain by asking women questions about the pattern of their breast pain and its relationship to specific phases of the monthly cycle.
Breast cysts. A common cause of breast pain, breast cysts are benign (not cancerous) sacs full of fluid that form when a woman’s milk-producing glands become enlarged. Cysts are diagnosed usually with the aid of a breast ultrasound; ultrasound images can usually clearly show a fluid-filled round or oval-shaped object inside the breast. When breast cysts cause pain or become too large, doctors can insert a needle to draw the fluid out.
Hormonal changes. As hormone levels rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle, breast tissue can become tender and, in some women, quite uncomfortable. A classic example of hormone-induced pain may occur in women who are in their first trimester of pregnancy, a time when hormones are surging and breasts are starting to prepare for lactation. Doctors usually determine that hormonal changes are to blame for breast pain by asking women questions about the pattern of their breast pain and its relationship to specific phases of the monthly cycle.
Breast cysts. A common cause of breast pain, breast cysts are benign (not cancerous) sacs full of fluid that form when a woman’s milk-producing glands become enlarged. Cysts are diagnosed usually with the aid of a breast ultrasound; ultrasound images can usually clearly show a fluid-filled round or oval-shaped object inside the breast. When breast cysts cause pain or become too large, doctors can insert a needle to draw the fluid out.
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