Changing hormone levels can cause changes in the milk ducts or milk glands. These changes in the ducts and glands can cause breast cysts, which can be painful and are a common cause of cyclic breast pain. Noncyclic breast pain may be caused by trauma, prior breast surgery or other factors.
Causes include an injury to the rib cage, heavy lifting, an infection, and arthritis. Experts note, however, that it often has no identifiable cause. Your doctor may recommend OTC or prescription-strength pain relievers and anti-inflammatories or steroids.
A woman's cleavage is the space between her breasts, especially the top part which you see if she is wearing a dress with a low neck.
Hormone shifts
This sensitivity is known as cyclic mastalgia or fibrocystic changes. Around 50 percent of all women over the age of 30 experience this. Right before your period starts, your breasts may feel especially tender if you press on them, or they may ache.
The main chest muscle (the pectoralis muscle) is found between the breast and the ribs in the chest wall.
The breast has no muscle tissue. Muscles lie underneath the breasts, however, separating them from your ribs.
Your sternum is a bone that's located in the middle of your chest. It's also sometimes referred to as the breastbone. Your sternum protects the organs of your torso from injury and also serves as a connection point for other bones and muscles.
If you find a breast lump that feels round, smooth and firm, it could be a cyst — a dilated milk duct filled with fluid. A breast cyst can be large or small, and the surrounding breast tissue may be tender. A breast cyst may appear before your menstrual period and get smaller or disappear afterward.
Physical trauma, costochondritis, and muscle strains are common causes of sternum pain. Conditions such as pneumonia, pleurisy and GERD can also cause pain in nearby tissue that people may mistake for sternum pain.
A tumor may feel more like a rock than a grape. A cancerous lump is usually hard, not soft or squishy. And it often has angular, irregular, asymmetrical edges, as opposed to being smooth, Dr.
But breast lumps are common. Most often they're noncancerous (benign), particularly in younger women. Still, it's important to have any breast lump evaluated by a health care provider, especially if it's new or if one breast feels different from the other breast.
Breast cysts may be found in one or both breasts. Signs and symptoms of a breast cyst include: A smooth, easily movable round or oval lump that may have smooth edges — which typically, though not always, indicates it's benign.
You should go to the ER immediately if you have any of the following: Sternum or chest bone pain that isn't from a minor injury. Pain radiating to your arms, jaw, or back. Shortness of breath, nausea, sweating, or dizziness.
Causes of costochondritis
severe coughing – which strains your chest area. an injury to your chest. physical strain from repeated exercise or sudden exertion that you're not used to – such as moving furniture. an infection – including respiratory tract infections (RTIs) and wound infections.
Costochondritis (kos-toe-kon-DRY-tis) is an inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the breastbone (sternum). Pain caused by costochondritis might mimic that of a heart attack or other heart conditions.
Anatomically, the adult breast sits atop the pectoralis muscle (the "pec" chest muscle), which is atop the ribcage. The breast tissue extends horizontally (side-to-side) from the edge of the sternum (the firm flat bone in the middle of the chest) out to the midaxillary line (the center of the axilla, or underarm).
A strained chest muscle occurs when you tear or stretch a muscle in your chest. This is also known as a pulled muscle or muscle strain, or more specifically, an intercostal muscle strain. When a chest muscle becomes strained, it can cause a sudden, sharp pain that radiates throughout the chest area.
The pain of a heart attack differs from that of a strained chest muscle. A heart attack may cause a dull pain or an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in the chest. Usually, the pain begins in the center of the chest, and it may radiate outward to one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
The transversus thoracis muscle attaches to the body of the sternum and xiphoid process. Pectoralis major is another major muscle attached to the body of the sternum.
Non-cyclical causes include things like diet and lifestyle, such as smoking, having larger breasts, or wearing poorly fitted bras. Ductal ectasia, when the ducts of the breast dilate, may also lead to breast pain on one side.
Bumps that are cancerous are typically large, hard, painless to the touch and appear spontaneously. The mass will grow in size steadily over the weeks and months.