My chest hurts before menstruation: why and what to do?

Breast soreness before the onset of critical days worries so many women. Some of them almost do not notice her, others suffer from severe pain, which leads to a deterioration in the quality of life. Why does the chest hurt, and how to deal with it?

Why does chest hurt before menstruation?

Pain in the mammary glands a few days before the onset of the menstrual cycle is also called mastodynia. This state is a variant of the norm. Often its occurrence is due to the fact that glandular breast tissue grows. This happens due to the fact that before the mature egg is removed from the follicle, there is a sharp production of estrogen, so the body is prepared for conception. These hormones and affect the state of the mammary glands. They are characterized by a lobed tissue structure.All lobes are composed of the milk ducts, connective, glandular and adipose tissue. In the latter, hormones and estrogens are produced, the increase in which leads to an increase in the amount of adipose tissue. In addition, there is an increase in glandular tissues, as is the preparation for lactation.

The hormones progesterone and prolactin act on the mammary gland in such a way that they heal and swell, become more sensitive, and therefore pain occurs. In most cases, this physiological state appears as a result of stressful situations and psychoemotional stresses experienced by a woman.

The intensity of the painful sensations in each woman is expressed differently. It depends on many things that affect the hormones. These factors include age, the individual characteristics of the organism, the lifestyle that a woman leads, and much more.

Usually in about 10 days there is pain in the chest before the start of the menstrual cycle. When menstruation comes, that is, conception does not occur, it retreats.

Other causes of chest pain before menstruation

It happens that chest pain is provoked not by physiological factors, but by other, more serious pathological conditions.

The causes of painful sensations in the mammary glands, which are not dangerous, include muscle sprains. This can occur, for example, due to increased physical exertion (long carrying heavy objects in the hands, intense sports training, etc.).

Causes that pose a greater threat to women's health may include the following:

1. Changes in hormone levels. Any imbalance in the hormonal background can cause dangerous consequences and disruptions in the functioning of all internal organs.
2. Gynecological diseases. Often lead to hormonal disorders. In some cases, may be an independent cause of breast pain.
3. Inflammation of the mammary glands or adjacent organs.
4. Breast Disease. They are provoked by many reasons, accompanied by different symptoms and proceed in different ways.The most common disease that causes pain in the breast becomes mastopathy.
5. Benign or malignant tumors. And those and others can cause pain in any phase of the cycle, in particular, and before the start of critical days.

In which cases chest pain is considered a disease.

Any woman, regardless of age, must take care of their own breasts, because the mammary glands are very often exposed to the development of cancer.

The fact that the body develops a pathogenic process, can tell the nature and severity of pain. For example, if the pain syndrome before menstruation has changed, has become stronger or has begun to occur on other days of the cycle, you need to be alert and carefully monitor everything that happens in the body, visit a competent doctor.

With particular attention to all pains in the mammary glands, you should treat the women in the risk group, that is, those with:

1. In the past, there have been artificial or spontaneous abortions.
2. There is instability of the menstrual cycle, or the complete absence of menstruation.
3. There is a genetic predisposition to various diseases of the mammary glands.
4. Who has been taking oral contraceptives for a long time, hormone-containing drugs for therapeutic purposes.
5. Who abuse fatty and fried foods, sweets, junk food, cigarettes.

If a woman who knows about the nature of the painful sensations in the chest before menstruation, notice any changes in this state, she should visit the doctor. Considered to be a normal, slightly aching pain.

Symptoms for which one should be alert and suspect the development of diseases:

• pain in only one breast;
• sore nipples and the appearance of discharge from them;
• pain has a wave-like character;
• compaction formation;
• chest cramps;
• severe, unbearable pain that does not lead to a normal life.

It should be noted that the pain and hypersensitivity of the breast can significantly increase if pregnancy occurs. Immediately after fertilization, the susceptibility of the nipples to various mechanical effects increases. Such symptoms may occur even before the delayed menstruation.

What to do when breast pain before menstruation

If this phenomenon does not affect a woman in any way, does not cause serious inconvenience, there is no cause for concern. If the pain does not go away even after the menstruation has come, you should consult a doctor, because this is a deviation from the norm.

In this situation, various factors usually cause the pain (gynecological diseases, stress and nervous tension, hormonal imbalance, catarrhal diseases, oncology).

The reason for concern with pain in the mammary glands should be a radical change in the menstrual cycle. For example, earlier, before the start of critical days, there was no particular chest pain, or, on the contrary, it was for such painful sensations that the approaching onset of menstruation could be determined - both options are considered normal. And if a woman notices that the cycle is not going the same way as before, and this is repeated not a single month in a row, in this case it is necessary to visit a doctor. Consultation of the doctor will be required in a situation where the usual symptoms in the form of a sore and painful chest are not observed.This is due to a decrease in the production of progesterone, which adversely affects the ability to become pregnant and give birth to a healthy child.

To exclude the presence of pathology, it is necessary to undergo a check-up at the gynecologist every six months, once a year - at the breast specialist. In addition, it is recommended to examine the mammary glands on a monthly basis. To do this, it is necessary to lift each breast in turn with one hand, and with the help of groping movements to check the condition of the breast with the other. If during this procedure seals or blood discharge with pus from the nipples are detected, it is necessary to visit the breast specialist as soon as possible. It is necessary to timely detect and eliminate changes that have occurred in the mammary gland. The treatment will be selected by the doctor, for each individual patient it is individual.

To establish the cause of pain in the chest before the critical days, the following diagnostic procedures will be assigned:

• Research on hormones.
• Test for tumor markers.
• Ultrasound examination of the chest and pelvic organs.

How to relieve chest pain

To reduce the pain in the breast before menstruation, it is necessary to address this issue in a comprehensive manner. Measures to help cope with the problem should first include a power adjustment in the second half of the cycle. It is recommended to limit the use of salty and fatty foods, drink less liquid, give up strong tea and coffee, alcoholic beverages. In addition, it is not necessary at this time to wear tight, tight clothes that squeeze the chest. Consultation with the doctor will not be superfluous. He may recommend taking in the second phase of the cycle of funds containing magnesium, hormonal contraceptive drugs, as well as herbal remedies that help avoid the occurrence of mastodynia.

Well help from the soreness of the chest before the onset of monthly folk remedies. For these purposes, using medicinal charges containing plants such as peony, sabelnik, nettle, train, celandine, thistle, dandelion. In addition, you can use the following recipes of traditional medicine:

1. Compress of vegetables. Chop the middle beetroots with a grater, add some honey.Take a cabbage leaf, discourage it, put the prepared mixture on it and apply it to the sore spot. Cover with polyethylene and wrap. The tool not only reduces pain, but also helps get rid of lumps in the breast.
2. Flaxseeds. They have a beneficial effect on hormones, eliminating imbalances. To improve the condition and reduce breast tenderness, flax seeds should be crushed. To use the received powder on the table spoon twice a day, washing down with a large amount of liquid.

It must be remembered that the use of any medication is fraught with the emergence of various side effects. In addition, each drug has certain contraindications. For this reason, before using them, you should consult with your doctor.

Prevention against the appearance of painful sensations in the chest before menstruation is protection against stressful situations and hypothermia.In addition, you should abandon the squeezing underwear, which leads to impaired circulation, squeezing blood vessels and lymph nodes. With chest pain, you can wear sports bras that do not squeeze the mammary glands, but provide support.

Even if such a condition has arisen, you should not try to treat it yourself. If a woman is worried about chest pain, the first thing she should do is to see a doctor.

Video: why does chest hurt before menstruation