Use a topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) medication. You may need to use NSAIDs when your pain is intense. Your doctor may recommend that you apply an NSAID cream directly to the area where you feel pain.
Use hot or cold compresses on your breasts. Wear a firm support bra, fitted by a professional if possible. Wear a sports bra during exercise, especially when your breasts may be more sensitive. Experiment with relaxation therapy, which can help control the high levels of anxiety associated with severe breast pain.
Breast pain can be due to many possible causes. Most likely breast pain is from hormonal fluctuations from menstruation, pregnancy, puberty, menopause, and breastfeeding. Breast pain can also be associated with fibrocystic breast disease, but it is a very unusual symptom of breast cancer.
Typical breast cancer, when it is found, also doesn't cause pain. “If a tumor grows big enough that you can feel it, it will feel like a rock in your breast tissue.
Stress and anxiety can also be linked to breast pain. Non-cyclical breast pain may be continuous or it may come and go. It can affect women before and after the menopause. The pain can be in one or both breasts and can affect the whole breast or a specific area.
Breast massage may help reduce pain that can occur when milk builds up within the breast. A 2015 study, for example, found that all 42 breastfeeding participants reported a reduction in breast and nipple pain following therapeutic breast massage. Some types of massage may be more effective than others.
There are two basic types of breast pain – cyclic and non-cyclic.
Women may experience breast pain during puberty, menstruation, premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy, menopause, and after childbirth. Breast pain felt during these times is considered normal. Breast pain associated with menstrual periods – called cyclic breast pain – normally goes away on its own.
Hormonal breast soreness is normal, but it is not usually very severe. Pain that lasts more than a week around the time of a period, or pain that stops a woman from everyday activities is not considered to be normal.
Paracetamol (Panadol) or other simple painkillers may help to reduce the severity of breast pain. This is often particularly beneficial for women who experience mastalgia only a few days in each month, related to their menstrual cycle.
The most effective NSAID for reducing breast pain is diclofenac (Voltaren) topical gel, which has been shown to decrease breast pain in 90% of users when applied to the affected area(s).
Take an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve), to relieve pain and swelling. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
Anything that affects your hormones can cause breast pain. Some culprits include fertility treatments, hormone replacement therapies, thyroid medications and birth control pills (even switching birth control regimens). These can cause sensitivity, tenderness and swelling because they impact your estrogen levels.
For example, sprains or injuries in the back, neck, or shoulder might cause pain that a person feels in the breast. A 2020 study notes that cervical root disorders, which people sometimes refer to as a pinched nerve, can cause breast pain. These disorders involve damage to or inflammation of a nerve root in the neck.
Sleeping on your side or stomach.
“However, it's important to note that sleeping on your stomach—with your chest pressed against the mattress for hours—is tough on your breasts,” notes Dr. Miller. And let's not forget the effects of side sleeping as well, this can cause your breast ligaments to stretch over time.
This stage follows a transitional period called perimenopause, where estrogen and progesterone levels in the body fluctuate unpredictably. These hormonal fluctuations commonly cause breast pain. Sore breasts, also known as mastalgia, are also very common during menstruation.
Make an appointment with your doctor if breast pain: Continues daily for more than a couple of weeks. Occurs in one specific area of your breast. Seems to be getting worse over time.
Breast pain is usually present to some degree with Inflammatory Breast Cancer which has other distinct symptoms as well. Rarely, a breast tumor may cause pain, but generally cancerous tumors are not reported as painful.
Most breast cancer lumps don't cause pain when you touch them. However, a malignancy in the breast can cause pain, discomfort and swelling in surrounding tissues. Periodic breast pain is not unusual.
If your pain feels focused in one area of the breast, it can be worth checking that with ultrasound. But pain is more likely the result of an underlying benign condition such as fibrocystic breast changes or a single cyst or fibroadenoma. Often a definite underlying cause can't be found.