What a PAIN
SORE BREASTS? WHAT’S NORMAL AND HOW TO HELP…
Mastalgia, which is the medical term for breast pain, affects two thirds of women at some stage of their life. The pain can range from mild to severe and can be felt in one or both breasts. Lots of women head to their doctor fearing it means something sinister – like breast cancer. But that’s unusual. Here’s how to work out when to worry, why your breasts hurt and what to do about it.
CAUSES OF MASTALGIA
Mastalgia generally falls into three types:
CYCLICAL BREAST PAIN As the name suggests, this happens in a typical cyclical pattern, usually around the period. It’s the most common form of breast pain and tends to hit women aged between 30 and 50 years. Both breasts are equally painful. Hormones (especially oestrogen) are blamed because it tends to stimulate the growth of the breast tissues inside the breasts. Progesterone causes fluid retention and that can push you up a bra cup size! NON-CYCLICAL MASTALGIA, which is there throughout the cycle. Typically, the pain happens only on one side, and is described as a localised sharp, burning pain. It can be caused by injuries, surgery, infections, or benign breast conditions, like cysts or fibroadenoma. Cancer can cause this but it’s rarer, with a lump being a more common symptom.
HORMONAL CHANGES INCLUDING PREGNANCY, the pill or even hormone replacement therapy can cause breast pain, minus the cyclical nature.
WHAT CAN THE DOCTOR DO?
Your doctor will ask you a few questions and examine your breasts. Then you might need some tests. The main purpose of a scan like an ultrasound is to rule out something nasty like cancer or infection. If you’re young, don’t have a family history and your pain is cyclical, the chances of the pain being from cancer is so low that you wouldn’t be sent for a scan immediately. But if there are worrying symptoms or history, you might need a scan with a biopsy if the radiologist spots a problem.