Do you only feel pain and sensitivity in the breast area during your period, or do you also suffer from swelling and lumps ?!
If you are one of those who have experienced lumps in that area when menstruation comes, here is the secret behind breast lumps during the menstrual cycle in detail.
Diagnosis
The breasts are generally a group of glands and fatty masses, and this area is considered one of the most sensitive areas in a woman’s body. Therefore, the breast is completely affected by any hormonal changes that occur during the month. The menstrual cycle, starting from a week or 10 days before its date until its appearance and even after its end during the ovulation period, is one of the most famous times during which a girl or woman is exposed to the well-known hormonal changes.
Accordingly, a group of symptoms appears before your menstrual period arrives, and this is called PMS. Among the symptoms related to it are "breast sensitivity and swelling".
As for the appearance of lumps or masses in particular during that time, it has been shown that it is also a relatively common symptom related to hormonal change and is known as "fibrocystic breast changes" or "cyclical breast changes" because they appear and disappear with the coming and going of the menstrual cycle. They are not cancerous and do not increase the chance of developing breast cancer, but rather they are a normal occurrence due to some of the following reasons.
Reasons
We previously agreed that the secret behind breast lumps during the menstrual cycle is due to hormonal changes at that time and they often appear before your period arrives. Also, the matter is completely different from one woman to another, as some do not feel the presence of lumps at all, and the symptoms may also appear in one breast without the other, as a result of the different response in each of them.
In the following points, we will present the reasons and explain how this happens in more detail.
- Both estrogen and progesterone levels rise in the week preceding menstruation.
- Based on their high levels, estrogen, in particular, increases breast size.
- Then the hormone progesterone increases or enlarges the mammary glands that help secrete milk, which leads to some women feeling lumpy. Enlargement of the mammary glands is the main reason behind the appearance of breast lumps during the menstrual cycle.
Symptoms
- Feeling pain, discomfort, and swelling in the breast area.
- Sensitive breast area and inability to apply light pressure or touch it.
- The sensation of a soft, moving mass that moves when pressed, and there may be one or more of them.
It is worth noting here that these symptoms improve and disappear as soon as your menstrual cycle ends, and sensitivity may appear when ovulation occurs, but it passes very quickly.
How can these symptoms be alleviated?
- Avoid wearing a tight bra or wearing it all day. It is preferable to replace your usual bra with a sports bra that is relatively larger.
- Follow a low-fat diet and avoid caffeine and soft drinks.
- Apply relatively warm compresses for no more than ten minutes.
- Perform a very light massage if possible.
When should you consult a doctor?
Although these symptoms are normal during menstruation, there are a number of changes and symptoms that should be noted to determine whether they indicate an illness or disorder, such as:
- The appearance of a new, sudden swelling unrelated to the menstrual cycle.
- If the lump persists without disappearing or improving after the end of the menstrual period.
- If you are generally experiencing severe pain in the breast area.
- If the pain is severe and unbearable during your menstrual cycle.
- If the texture and size of your breasts change.
- Discharge from the nipple.
- The nipple is inverted.