Table of contents:
- Causes of breast pain and enlargement before menstruation
- Not only before menstruation, there are two types of breast pain
- How to deal with breast pain before menstruation?
- Should you visit a doctor?
When menstruation approaches, women usually experience several symptoms such as mood swings. Some women also experience increased appetite, and breasts that look enlarged or swollen may even feel painful. This is commonly known as premenstrual syndrome or PMS. Enlarged breasts and pain due to PMS will usually return to normal when you enter your menstrual period. However, you need to be careful, because sometimes, swelling and pain or pain in the breasts before menstruation is a sign of fibrocystic breast disease, aka lumps in non-cancerous breasts during menstruation. If you feel there are changes with your breasts, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Causes of breast pain and enlargement before menstruation
Women have several hormones that are important for the reproductive system, including estrogen and progesterone. The occurrence of menstruation is due to the absence of fertilization of the egg, so that the uterine wall eventually sheds. During the menstrual cycle, the hormones in your body fluctuate. The increase in hormone levels occurs before to after the menstrual period. Estrogen plays an important role in this case, causing the breast ducts to enlarge. In addition, progesterone production also makes the mammary glands swell. Because of these two things, you end up experiencing breast pain.
Estrogen and progesterone usually increase on days 14 to 28 - if your cycle is 28 days long. Estrogen will increase in the middle of the cycle, while progesterone increases during the week before menstruation.
Swelling and pain in the breasts are the main symptoms of premenstrual. That's why you often feel pain in your breasts before menstruation.
The pain is indeed uncomfortable, you will also feel the breast tissue become dense and rough. However, not all women experience breast pain before menstruation. for example, changes in hormone levels prior to menstruation will decrease in women who are approaching menopause.
Not only before menstruation, there are two types of breast pain
This pain in the breast can also be referred to as mastalgia. There are two types: pain that appears on a monthly cycle (cyclic), and those that are not followed by a monthly cycle pattern (noncyclic). PMS symptoms included cyclic, usually pain is experienced by both breasts, and spreads to the armpits and arms. Breast pain cyclic it is more common in younger women.
While pain noncylcic experienced by women aged 30 to 50 years. The pain is only experienced by one part of the breast. Sometimes the pain is caused by a fibroadenoma - a noncancerous tumor found in the breast - and a cyst.
How to deal with breast pain before menstruation?
There are several ways you can reduce breast pain before menstruation, such as:
- Wearing support A fitted bra can reduce the jiggling of your breast tissue during your menstrual period.
- Applying hot or cold compresses can also help, but don't apply them directly to the skin of your breasts. The compress can be wrapped again with a soft towel or cloth. We recommend that you do the compress for only about 20 minutes.
- Pain relievers such as ibuprofen or aspirin can be taken when the pain occurs, both of which do not contain caffeine.
- Drink lots of water and avoid caffeine drinks. Caffeine will increase the hormone cortisol, so it will mess with other hormones that are increasing. Try to also reduce your salt consumption, because salt will trigger water retention.
- Eat healthy foods such as those high in fiber, low in fat, which can be found in fruits and nuts. You should start reducing meat consumption, because eating less meat is also good for heart health, bones, helps with weight loss, and breast health.
- Reducing stress also helps maintain hormonal balance, because stress will increase the production of the hormone cortisol. You can reduce stress by exercising regularly or trying light meditation. Even aromatherapy ingredients are also believed to relieve stress. Reducing stress also prevents excessive soreness in your breasts
Should you visit a doctor?
If you are really worried about changes in your breasts, it is best if you visit your doctor immediately. Besides, it hurts premenstrual what you feel before menstruation on the breasts can also be a symptom of the disease - as already mentioned above. If you find these symptoms, you should also immediately consult a doctor:
- There is a lump in the breast
- Discharge from the nipple, especially if the discharge is brown or even bloody
- Excessive breast pain, for example if the pain is interfering with your daily activities and sleeping time
- Uniteral lump or lump that is only on one side of the breast