Breast pain is something women often get. It is thought to be present in up to 69% of women aged 30-50. Breast pain, also known as mastalgia, usually occurs during your period because hormones trigger changes in breast tissue that can lead to pain, sensitivity or discomfort. This is called cyclical mastalgia. Changes in hormone levels during puberty or menopause can also be linked to cyclical mastalgia.

Just before menstruation, estrogen and progesterone start to decrease and this leads to swelling and soreness of your breasts. As a woman approaches menopause, these aches may go away, but it’s not the case for everyone.

Breast pain is usually linked to periods.

Here are a couple of ideas that you can use to reduce breast pain during this period:

• Consume less sugar, salt, caffeine and milk.

• Pain relievers can also help.

• Regular mild exercise (not running though) can also help you, as it will strengthen your muscles.

Breast pain not linked to periods.

Breast pain may also have other non-cyclical reasons that may be linked to some health conditions:

• Sprains or injuries or sprains to the shoulder, neck, or back

• Some medicines like  birth control pills and some antidepressants, see the side effects in the information leaflet and see your doctor

• Mastitis or a breast abscess may also cause breast pain along with other symptoms

• Pregnancy is known to have breast pain as an early sign

• Hormone changes during the menopause.

In this case, you should call your ob-gyn to get further examinations.

A study by Victoria University reported that 70% of women chose bras that are too small, while 10% have bras that are too large, and only 20% of women choose the correct size of bras.

Ladies with large breasts are more likely to be wearing incorrectly fitted bras. When your breasts are heavy, it’s important to choose the right fit, otherwise the breast tissues and ligaments might stretch and cause pain. This pain affects not only your breasts, but it might also affect your shoulders, neck and even your back. So it’s essential you choose a supportive and sturdy bra to keep your breasts in place. You can also wear special sports bras for working out and for sleeping.

Sources:

Breast pain (mastalgia),healthengine.com.au

Breast pain, nhs.uk

Breast size, bra fit and thoracic pain in young women: a correlational study, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov