The article describes the causes of cyclic mastalgia and offers tips on how to reduce breast pain before periods.
It also looks at noncyclic causes of breast pain and how they differ from cyclic mastalgia.
What Causes Breast Pain Before Period?
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It can affect younger females but is more common after the age of 30 and tends to subside aftermenopausewhenmenstruationceases.
Cyclic mastalgia affects both breasts.
Cyclic mastalgia typically occurs during the last phase of the menstrual cycle, called the luteal phase.
The pain and swelling can sometimes extend to the underarms.
During and after your period, estrogen and progesterone levels will drop precipitously along with your breast pain.
Noncyclic Mastalgia
A second key in of mastalgianoncyclic mastalgiahas no link to the menstrual cycle.
With noncyclic mastalgia, the pain is present all the time in a specific location.
Noncyclic mastalgia is more common after menopause but can occur at any age.
Possible causes include:
Does Breast Cancer Cause Pain?
Breast or nipple pain isnota common sign ofbreast cancer.
This is referred to asextramammary mastaglia.
This can give the false impression of breast pain.
Possible causes of extramammary mastalgia include:
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Pain?
The symptoms of mastalgia can vary based on whether it is cyclical or non-cyclical.
The symptoms can signpost the underlying cause of your pain and help direct the appropriate treatment.
The treatment of cyclic mastalgia can vary based on the severity of your symptoms.
Sometimes all that is needed are simple at-home remedies to provide relief.
Severe cases may require OTC or prescription medications.
There is a chance they could interact with these medications.
The same applies if the pain is affecting your mental well-being.
Treatments are available that can help.
For most people, lifestyle changes and over-the-counter remedies will help to deal with the symptoms.
However, if breast pain is localized or persistent, I recommend being evaluated by a healthcare provider.
The pain can be severe and worrisomebut it’s rarely a sign of breast cancer.
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