Breast pain is not always a cause for concern. Approximately 7 out of 10 women will complain of breast pain at some point in their lives. Also known as mastalgia, breast pain is more common in younger women. Postmenopausal women occasionally have symptoms as well, although it’s rare.

Breast pain is classified into two different groups, cyclical or non cyclical. Cyclical breast pain is usually related to a woman’s menstrual cycle, involves swelling of the breasts, and affects both breasts at the same time. Non cyclical breast pain is not related to the menstrual cycle, is frequently caused by injury to the breast, occurs in just one breast or the other, and is more common in women over the age of 40. Some women experience breast pain as a result of taking birth control pills, gaining weight, and wearing tight bras or tight fitting clothing around the breasts.

Having breast pain should not immediately raise any red flags for breast cancer. Only about 2% of women with breast cancer ever complain of breast pain. Sometimes tumors in the breasts can be painful and cause breast pain, but the painful tumors are rarely ever diagnosed as breast cancer. Chronic breast pain should be reported to a doctor even though it is likely nothing serious.

A doctor asked to diagnose breast pain will likely perform a breast examination and may also do a mammogram to rule out the possibility of tumors or breast cancer. The patient will be asked questions about personal and family medical history. Once the doctor has diagnosed the problem and possible cause, treatment options will be discussed. If breast pain is severe, the physician may prescribe drugs such as danazol or bromocriptine.

If breast pain is not severe, there are some lifestyle changes that can be made to help manage the pain. Things like cutting back or cutting out caffeine, losing weight, taking a daily multi-vitamin and limiting salt intake can make a big difference in the severity of breast pain. If a doctor decides drug treatment isn’t needed, he or she may suggest some of the above options to women complaining of breast pain.

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