What is the difference between PMS breast pain and pregnancy symptoms?

Both PMS and pregnancy both cause breast pain symptoms. Not infrequently this makes many women confused about the two. Have you ever felt sore breasts a week before menstruation, then confused whether it is a sign of pregnancy or not? Here's an explanation about sore breasts as a sign of pregnancy or STDs.

Breast pain as a sign of menstruation (menstruation)

Quoting from American Pregnancy, signs of pregnancy or menstruation are similar. Apart from breast pain, other signs of pregnancy and STDs include mood swings (mood swings), backaches, headaches, often feeling hungry.

Then, are sore breasts a week before menstruation a sign of pregnancy? Breast pain before your period is not necessarily a sign of pregnancy.

The reason is, pain accompanied by swelling of the breasts, a sign of PMS, generally occurs one to two weeks before menstruation begins and subsides after menstruation.

When touched, the breasts may also feel lumpy, solid, and look fuller. This condition is caused by the hormones estrogen and progesterone in the body fluctuating during the menstrual cycle.

The hormone estrogen causes the breast ducts to enlarge. Meanwhile, the production of the hormone progesterone causes the mammary glands to swell. Both of these things cause your breasts to feel sore before menstruation (PMS).

This pain ranges from mild to severe, and is usually the most severe before menstruation. This pain will gradually improve during menstruation or after.

Women of reproductive age tend to have more severe breast pain symptoms. Even so, these symptoms will vary from person to person.

For some women the pain that appears can still be bearable. However, for some other women this pain can be very painful.

Breast pain is a sign of pregnancy

Then, how sore breasts are a sign of pregnancy? The most distinguishing thing is the pain.

Breast pain associated with pregnancy will be more painful than during PMS or before menstruation. Besides feeling pain, breasts during pregnancy are also more sensitive, tender, and swollen.

Swelling and tenderness in the breasts last one to two weeks after conception. This condition is caused by increased levels of the hormone progesterone due to pregnancy.

In fact, the breasts not only hurt during pregnancy, but also feel a tingling sensation in the area around the nipples. The skin in the nipple and areola area may also become darker in preparation for breastfeeding when the baby is born.

In contrast to menstrual breast pain which will subside after starting menstruation, breast pain is a sign of pregnancy which is not the case.

This condition can last quite a long time due to a spike in progesterone levels in the body to support pregnancy. Some women even have breast pain that persists throughout their pregnancy.

Breast pain that is not related to menstruation

Although breast pain is often associated with signs of pregnancy and menstruation, there are several conditions that are not related to both.

Sometimes breast pain can be caused by the following, quoting from the NHS:

Injury or sprain in the shoulder, neck, or back area that causes pain in the breast
Taking drugs such as contraceptive pills (birth control pills)
Suffering from mastitis or breast abscess
Menopause

Apart from breast pain, there are several conditions that make it easier for women to understand the different signs of pregnancy and menstruation.

Abdominal cramps as a menstrual symptom last a long time and disappear during menstruation and disappear at the end of the cycle.
Painful breasts accompanied by nausea and vomiting are a sign of pregnancy, not menstruation.
Late menstruation is not necessarily a sign of pregnancy.
Light bleeding can sometimes be an early sign of pregnancy, however, you generally won't have bleeding during PMS.

The best way to differentiate between menstruation and signs of pregnancy is to take a pregnancy test with testpack.