Breasts as before menstruation. Why do breasts enlarge and swell before menstruation?

Breast pain before menstruation is a reason for many women to think about it. Many people believe that this is a completely common phenomenon. But most women have the opposite sensations, and when the pain really disappears before the menstrual period, it is alarming and alarming.

In fact, the absence of pain or mild pain is a normal sign. But some changes may indicate hormonal changes, where the outcome may not be entirely favorable.

Felt chest pain usually occurs in the 2nd phase of the menstrual cycle, as a result of and after the onset. This indicates that the body is preparing for fertilization and further pregnancy.

At this moment, a hormone such as progesterone accumulates, as a result of which its amount increases significantly. And along with this, what happens is that the mammary glands swell and breast engorgement can occur.

If fertilization does not occur, then menstruation appears. The body understands that there is no point in conducting preparatory courses for pregnancy, and at the same time, painful sensations in the breast disappear and it returns to its original size.

No breast pain before menstruation

For a long time, my breasts were always full and sore, and showed sensitivity a few days before my expected period. But what happened was that the pain noticeably lowered its priorities or went away completely. And if the chest does not hurt before menstruation, many are happy about such changes, because discomfort no longer torments the fair sex, but on the other hand, it causes curiosity and even anxiety.

As it has already turned out, the cause of painful sensations is progesterone, so their temporary or permanent cessation is most likely associated with this hormone, which is sometimes necessary.

Therefore, if chest pain stops tormenting, this may indicate either a disorder or pleasant changes in the body.

Let's look at a number of reasons contributing to this revolution.

Hormonal background

Changes in the hormonal balance in the body can lead to changes in the mammary glands.

The reasons for changes in hormonal levels may be as follows:

The beginning or restoration process of sexual activity gives impetus to changes in hormonal levels in the body. This category includes young girls and women who have not been sexually active for a long time and do not have a regular partner. Others may also disappear.
Taking hormonal medications that affect changes in the body, including the condition of the mammary glands.
Restoring regularity.
Active sex life.

If the disappearance of chest pain before menstruation is due to these reasons, then there is no need to worry about this. This suggests that everything is fine with the hormonal background and it has returned to normal.

Contraception

The cessation of breast tenderness may directly depend on the use of hormonal agents:

These are mainly means of concentration. Their effect is aimed at reducing progesterone in quantity. With the help of these pills, conception does not occur, since the egg cannot attach to the walls of the uterus. Consequently, the functioning of the body affects such changes differently.
The intrauterine device also affects the absence of pain symptoms.

In the video about the causes of chest pain before menstruation:

Pregnancy

One of the signs of impending conception is the appearance of strong or weak pain in the chest area, which creates noticeable discomfort and increases the sensitivity of the nipples. Some women say the opposite; their breasts stop hurting altogether. This may directly depend on the individuality of each organism and the amount of hormones released in each cycle. This reaction to pregnancy is not a pathology.

However, it is advisable to tell your doctor about such changes. He may prescribe drugs that increase the amount of progesterone, since the required amount is required for the normal development of pregnancy.

Menopause

The age at which menopause begins is approximately 45 years. This is the period when the functions of the female reproductive system gradually fade away.

In a short time, menstrual discharge becomes less noticeable, pain in the mammary glands weakens, and then disappears completely.

Other reasons

Along with the above symptoms, the breasts may stop hurting due to the fact that the body has gotten rid of a pre-existing disease, for example, mastopathy, or poor functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Frequent stressful situations and diets can have an impact on a woman’s well-being.

Therefore, changing your diet to a healthy one, taking vitamins, and a correct and healthy lifestyle have a positive effect on this situation and even out the hormonal levels of the female body.

Should I worry?

If chest pain is completely absent and unpleasant sensations appear that are tolerable, then there is no point in worrying. But to be completely sure that everything is fine, you can contact a specialist with this question.

An abrupt cessation of pain in the mammary glands may indicate that the level of progesterone has decreased, which can negatively affect conception, and subsequently the bearing of a child.

In this case, a woman needs to see a doctor if she is thinking about her offspring. The doctor will send the patient for tests to study reproductive function and prescribe appropriate medications that increase progesterone levels.

In general, in the absence of pathologies in the body, the cessation of discomfort and chest pain before critical days indicates the restoration of hormonal levels and the normalization of the cycle. Therefore, if your breasts stop hurting before your period, then the above information will help you figure it out.

Minor pain and mild discomfort in the breasts and nipples before menstruation are a common condition for the vast majority of women of reproductive age.

Why might your breasts hurt?

This is an absolutely normal physiological reaction to changes in hormonal levels that occur after ovulation.

In the second phase of the cycle, after the follicle matures, the corpus luteum is formed - a source of progesterone. This hormone is responsible for preparing a woman’s body for fertilization and pregnancy, breastfeeding. Progesterone activates the growth of glandular tissue in the mammary glands, increasing blood flow to them, which increases sensitivity and can cause minor pain and an increase in breast size. If pregnancy does not occur, but menstruation does, the level of progesterone drops, the glandular tissues fall into place and the breasts no longer hurt.

This natural process is familiar to almost all women, from puberty to menopause. But there are also lucky women who have never experienced breast pain before their period.

What does this mean?

Most likely, if your breasts do not cause you discomfort and you usually do not experience other PMS symptoms, this means that your hormonal levels are perfectly balanced and you are absolutely healthy.
If you are not worried about any other problems related to your reproductive system, why not stop worrying about it?

Why don't my chest hurt anymore?

Let’s say your breasts always became engorged and sensitive a few days before your period. But lately, the chest no longer hurts or the level of pain has decreased significantly, and it seems that you just need to be happy about this, but you still want to understand the reason for such changes.

Let's try to understand this situation using the most common examples:

Is there any cause for concern?

Strictly speaking, both the complete absence of chest pain before menstruation and tolerable, not severe pain are variants of the norm.

In addition to progesterone, pain in the chest is also influenced by the combination of other hormones and the ratio of their indicators on certain days of the cycle.

An experienced doctor will be able to explain to you in detail why your health has changed and whether something needs to be done about it. If all hormones are within normal limits, it means that your body has independently rebuilt the functioning of the hormonal system to a new level, this also happens.

Breast swelling before menstruation raises many questions and concerns. Enlargement and tenderness of the mammary glands are not a pathology and disappear after the onset of menstruation. If your chest continues to hurt, you need to undergo an examination. It is advisable to do this in the first three weeks after menstruation.

If there is no pain before menstruation, pregnancy must be ruled out. If this symptom persists, a woman should seek medical help. It is important to identify the cause in time and eliminate it; after the disease progresses, serious treatment or even surgical intervention is required.

Why does the bust become painful and swollen?

Discomfort in the mammary glands appears due to an imbalance between female hormones - estrogen, prolactin and progesterone.

The syndrome worsens after the ovulation period, 7-10 days before the start of a new cycle. Blood flow to the breast increases, causing it to become engorged and overly sensitive.

Pathological causes of pain include:

teenage pregnancy;
hormonal imbalance;
ovarian dysfunction;
endocrine diseases;
taking oral contraceptives;
gynecological diseases.

Before the onset of menstruation, breast tissue becomes rough, lumpy and dense, the breasts become heavier, and a dull pain is felt.
Pain is also caused by an increase in the concentration of estrogens, under the influence of which the milk ducts expand.

The occurrence of pain in different phases of the cycle is considered a pathology.

Pain appears when:

delay caused by hypothermia or a cold (if you haven’t had your period for three to five days);
damage to the chest muscles, manifested by inflammation or stretching;
ectopic pregnancy (hormonal imbalances provoke changes in the mammary glands and contribute to the appearance of tumors);
mastopathy (benign tumor that degenerates into oncology);
breast cancer (a dangerous disease that needs to be diagnosed at an early stage; for this, a woman must undergo a preventive examination by a mammologist twice a year);
inflammatory and infectious diseases occurring in the mammary glands.

When the chest hurts periodically throughout the menstrual cycle, it is worth checking the state of the hormonal levels. If there are no problems with hormones, it is necessary to examine the pelvic organs in the first three days of the menstrual cycle.

What symptoms are considered normal?

A slight enlargement of the breasts and increased sensitivity of the mammary glands 1-2 weeks before the start of the expected menstruation is considered normal.

If a woman does not have gynecological diseases, then her body quickly copes with hormonal imbalance and restores the levels of progesterone, prolactin and estrogen, so after the start of menstruation, the pain goes away.

Discomfort and heaviness in the chest are accompanied by a pulling and aching pain in the lower abdomen. This symptom intensifies two to three days before the onset of menstruation.
Tingling sensations may appear in the chest, this is due to a large rush of blood to the mammary glands.
Painful sensations in the nipples are also found in premenstrual syndrome. This is considered normal if the discomfort goes away with the onset of menstruation.

When the pain is severe and does not go away after the start of your period, you should visit a doctor. The most common breast disease is mastopathy. If it is diagnosed and treated in time, dangerous diseases will not arise in the future. Failure to treat the pathology at the initial stage will provoke the development of tumors or oncology.

When self-examining the mammary glands, it is important to pay attention to the presence of uneven lumps.
If your chest hurts a lot, you need to determine whether there are inflammatory processes or infectious diseases. Once the cause is identified, treatment must be started immediately.

Only with a balanced functioning of the hormonal system the body can easily tolerate minor fluctuations in hormones. To prevent severe imbalances, it is necessary to adhere to a healthy diet, lead an active lifestyle, avoid bad habits and not develop chronic diseases.

Then there will be no severe pain before menstruation, and premenstrual syndrome will not appear three weeks before the onset of menstruation.

How to eliminate unpleasant sensations

Pain and engorgement of the mammary glands cause severe discomfort, the woman cannot fully move, lie on her stomach or even her side, and unpleasant sensations appear during sexual intercourse.

You can alleviate the condition using home remedies:

It is worth excluding fatty, fried foods and salt from their diet - this will not only improve the general condition of the body, but also reduce engorgement of the mammary glands;
You should not drink strong tea, coffee and chocolate, their quantity should be reduced to a minimum;
It is necessary to do light exercises daily, it will increase the tone of the body, and the breasts will hurt less in the last weeks of the cycle;
It is better to replace an underwire bra with a sports model; it does not put pressure on the breasts and does not interfere with normal blood flow;
Warm compresses help reduce pain and swelling; first, it is better to put a warm towel on the chest and only after warming up the mammary glands can you proceed directly to therapeutic compresses;
diuretics reduce swelling of the breast, resulting in reduced sensitivity and discomfort;
the psychological state has a strong impact; in the absence of stress and the ability to relax, a woman tolerates premenstrual syndrome much easier;
If the pain is severe, you can take painkillers that do not contain caffeine (aspirin, ibuprofen).

If necessary, the doctor prescribes oral contraceptives, which reduce the manifestation of unpleasant symptoms before menstruation. Vitamins B6 and E help reduce pain, but you should not self-medicate. The doctor prescribes any drug only after a complete examination.

If your breasts become enlarged before your period, this is due to fluid retention and swelling. From puberty to menopause, women go through the same changes every month, corresponding to different phases of the menstrual cycle. The hidden biological meaning of these changes is to prepare the body for the generation and preservation of new life. In this process, the organs of the reproductive system and mammary glands play an active role. This is why breast enlargement before menstruation is a physiological norm.

Breast tissue increases in volume as a result of proliferation and fluid retention. The woman feels:

feeling of fullness
increased sensitivity of the nipple
heaviness in the mammary gland

Symptoms disappear 2-4 days after the start of menstruation.

What factors cause breast enlargement before menstruation? The female breast has a complex lobular structure. It is protected from above by adipose tissue, the function of producing breast milk is performed by the glandular epithelium, each lobule is penetrated by the ducts of the mammary glands and a network of blood vessels.

Nature has designed the mammary glands in such a way that engorgement of the mammary glands before menstruation under the influence of specific sex hormones - estrogens, progesterone and prolactin - is a normal process. This process is biologically justified, because the main purpose of the mammary gland is to feed the baby with breast milk.

During the process of ovulation, the ovaries, adrenal cortex, and pituitary gland begin to intensively synthesize sex hormones, which enter the blood, affect the tissue of the mammary glands and cause their enlargement. First of all, glandular epithelial cells grow and the milk ducts expand. This is also considered the norm; if conception occurs, the mammary glands will quickly adapt to new physiological processes associated with the restructuring of the body.

How much breasts enlarge before menstruation depends on the balance of sex hormones and the woman’s lifestyle.

Effects of hormones on breasts

How do hormones affect breast tissue before menstruation? The menstrual cycle is a complex multicomponent process that occurs under the control of the pituitary-hypothalamic zone of the brain and ovaries. They produce hormones - estrogens and progesterone, which cause cyclic changes in the reproductive organs and mammary gland.

In the first phase of the menstrual cycle, a follicle with an egg matures in the ovary. In the middle of the menstrual cycle, the follicle bursts and the egg is released into the abdominal cavity for fertilization; a corpus luteum is formed in place of the burst follicle. This period corresponds to ovulation. The walls of the follicle synthesize estrogens, the body prepares for possible fertilization and pregnancy.

Finally, in the final phase, if fertilization has not occurred, the corpus luteum dissolves under the influence of estrogens and progesterone, and menstruation begins.

So, in the last phase of the menstrual cycle, the breasts come under the influence of estrogens. In the mammary glands, these hormones cause fluid retention, stimulate the development of milk ducts, swell the breasts and change the color of the areolas and nipples. This is why many women complain about swelling of the mammary glands before menstruation, soreness and special sensitivity of the nipples.

Progesterone, which is produced by the cells of the corpus luteum, actively stimulates breast tissue during this period and can enlarge it. In leukocytes - the cells in which breast milk is produced - the secretory function is enhanced. Under the influence of the hormone, sodium chloride (salt) accumulates in the tissues of the mammary glands, which retains fluid. Because of this, the breasts may become engorged and increase in size. This can be seen in the bra, which becomes tight and uncomfortable.

Another hormone that causes breast swelling before menstruation is prolactin. Its role is also to prepare breast tissue. In the premenstrual phase, the value of prolactin is not great, but with the onset of pregnancy, the strength of its effect on the breast increases significantly.

What causes breast enlargement

Under the influence of certain internal and external factors, the mammary glands may swell even more. In this case, unpleasant and painful phenomena intensify.

These factors include:

Chronic stress and strong nervous stress (the nervous system controls the production of hormones).
Fatigue caused by intense physical exertion.
Long-term and uncontrolled use of hormonal contraceptives.
Wearing an incorrectly selected bra, which compresses the breasts, disrupts blood microcirculation and lymph outflow.
Excessive salt intake.
Abuse of strong coffee (no more than 2 cups per day).
Lots of animal fats in the diet.
Smoking (disturbs the supply of oxygen to tissue cells).

How many days before menstruation can breasts swell? This happens in about 3-7 days. Breast enlargement in the last phase of the menstrual cycle is individual. Breasts can become very large in size. Some women practically do not notice it, for others it becomes an annoying symptom.

Reduced discomfort

How to reduce discomfort in the chest before menstruation? Every woman can alleviate her condition in the last phase of the menstrual cycle - reduce the feeling of fullness and full, painful breasts.

To do this you need:

Stick to a healthy diet. Food should be light to reduce the load on the cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract. Vegetable and dairy dishes, nuts and seeds, and fruits are suitable. A must-have product on the table should be steamed, boiled or boiled fish - a source of unsaturated fatty acids and cereal porridges - suppliers of B vitamins. The use of natural diuretic products - parsley, celery, fresh cucumbers - has a good effect. You need to avoid salty and smoked foods, which additionally retain water in the body. During this period, it is better to season dishes with spices, garlic and soy sauce instead of the usual salt.
Be sure to find time for walks in the fresh air and exercise. This will facilitate the rapid outflow of fluid from the mammary glands and normalize blood microcirculation.
Choose a comfortable bra that will support your breasts well without squeezing them. It is better to avoid models with underwires. Wearing a sports bra is ideal. If your breasts become very engorged, you can leave it on at night.
If unpleasant sensations interfere with the quality of life, then you can resort to medications. For painful bloating, you can take aspirin or ibuprofen, or drink a diuretic. It should be remembered that each drug has contraindications.
Try doing breathing exercises according to Buteyko or Strelnikova. The flow of oxygen to the breast tissue will help normalize metabolic processes and reduce discomfort.
Take a contrast shower or bath with essential oils of lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary. Water perfectly tones hardened mammary glands, and essential oils will serve as relaxants that will relieve excessive nervousness and irritability.

Is breast enlargement always a physiological norm?

Unfortunately, in some cases, breast enlargement before menstruation is a symptom of the disease. In what case should you sound the alarm and seek advice from a specialist? When such painful distension of the mammary glands has not been felt before. This symptom indicates a hormonal imbalance caused by pathological processes. Most likely, you will need to consult 3 specialists at once - a mammologist, a gynecologist and an endocrinologist.

What might be discovered?

Disorders of the reproductive organs - ovaries, uterus.
Disturbances in the function of the thyroid gland, pituitary gland, and ovaries, which are responsible for the production of hormones.
Increased levels of prolactin in the blood.
Tumor diseases of the mammary glands - mastopathy, cancer.

Don’t panic, but try to analyze what other symptoms have appeared recently. Perhaps, when palpating the mammary gland, a small lump is felt, there is discharge from the nipple, the bust continues to be full and painful even after menstruation. If you have any of the symptoms, you should schedule a mammogram.

If breast enlargement before menstruation is stronger and more painful than always, then this may be a signal that the happiest and most important period in a woman’s life has begun - pregnancy. In this case, menstruation will not come on time or the matter will be limited to scanty bleeding.

Women's breasts undergo physiological changes during different periods of life. Starting to grow from the moment of puberty, it is finally formed by 15–16 years. The condition of the mammary glands is determined by hormonal processes occurring in the body during menstruation, pregnancy or during natural feeding of a child. Cyclic changes can affect not only the structural and functional characteristics of the breast, but also the woman’s well-being. This often leads to discomfort in the gland area.

Many women complain of chest pain before menstruation. This can be explained by completely physiological reasons, because this phenomenon is typical for 60% of patients. But such an explanation will not always be correct - pain may appear due to certain health problems. To find out the origin of this symptom, you need to consult a specialist.

Chest pain is relevant for many women, and this cannot always be explained by normal processes. Therefore, you need to pay due attention to this problem.

General information

The breast consists of glandular tissue, which is divided into lobes by connective tissue cords, and these, in turn, consist of smaller lobules. Each of them has alveoli located at the ends of the milk tubes. The entire gland is located on a kind of cushion of adipose tissue, which penetrates between the lobes.

The growth and development of glandular tissue occurs under the influence of female hormones: estrogens, progesterone, prolactin. Changes in the breasts are subject to specific phases of the menstrual cycle. When the corpus luteum forms in the ovary after ovulation, the secretion of progesterone increases at this time. Under its influence, expansion of the ducts and an increase in the number of alveolar sacs are observed. However, 12–14 days of the luteal phase are not enough for their full development, and with a decrease in progesterone levels, the alveoli atrophy. Such changes are repeated monthly.

The mammary gland is subject to cyclic processes caused by the regulation of reproductive function.

Causes

If a woman’s breasts ache almost from the very beginning of the menstrual cycle, and this does not cause her any other troubles except some psychological discomfort, then this phenomenon can be attributed to her physiological peculiarity. It is much easier for those who are not at all familiar with pain in the gland before menstruation - there is no reason to worry. But you should definitely pay attention to your health when your breasts suddenly start to hurt or, conversely, stop. This may indicate some kind of malfunction in the body and requires qualified diagnosis.

If your chest hurts before your period, then you need to look for the cause of such sensations. Most often it is necessary to consider the possibility of the following conditions:

Physiological changes.
Premenstrual syndrome.
Ovarian dysfunction.
Breast diseases.

Thus, breasts can hurt due to various reasons. One should not attribute everything to the individual characteristics of the body, since even such a seemingly ordinary symptom sometimes hides serious disorders in the body.

Before making any decisions, you should find out why your breasts hurt before your period. A medical examination and additional methods will help with this.

Symptoms

If a woman experiences breast pain during her menstrual cycle, she needs to find out if there are other symptoms to look out for. During the examination, the doctor conducts a survey of the patient and examines her, taking into account the slightest changes in the condition of the body, which can be identified at the appointment. At the same time, all complaints made require further detail in order to obtain maximum information.

Physiological changes

The cause of chest pain should first be sought in the normal processes that occur during the various phases of the menstrual cycle. After ovulation, engorgement of the gland is observed, which is revealed by its slight swelling. As a rule, this should not cause trouble and it is not at all necessary that your breasts will hurt.

But, as practice shows, most women still feel such changes. For some, this is accompanied by a feeling of fullness, but many still talk about pain. But such symptoms, having arisen 10 days before the onset of menstruation, cease to bother you as soon as menstruation begins. If there is a sharp change in the usual course of the cycle, and the chest begins to hurt in those who have not previously felt this, then you need to think about other reasons.

Normally, discomfort in the gland area or other unpleasant sensations may be observed in the second phase of the female cycle.

Premenstrual syndrome

If your breasts hurt quite severely, then you need to consider the possibility of premenstrual syndrome. This phenomenon is caused by endocrine-metabolic, neurovegetative and vascular changes in the body that occur as a result of regulatory imbalance. This condition is quite common among modern women and, in addition to breast enlargement and soreness, is characterized by the following symptoms:

Swelling of the limbs.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Nausea and vomiting.
Change in appetite.
Increased urination.
Accelerated heartbeat.
Acne.
Increased fatigue.
Emotional lability.

Similar symptoms are familiar to many women expecting their next period. But such phenomena cannot be classified as physiological.

Ovarian dysfunction

It is possible that pain in the chest is associated with dysfunction of the ovaries, when there is a failure in the hormonal regulation of cyclic changes in the glandular tissue. Then the woman will notice the appearance of other signs. These include:

Irregularity of menstruation.
Intermenstrual bleeding.
Severe premenstrual syndrome.
Pain in the lower abdomen.
Lack of ovulatory processes.
Miscarriage.
Female infertility.

Such symptoms indicate a serious problem, which is accompanied by reproductive dysfunction. In this case, chest pain should be considered as a mandatory indication for a medical examination.

Ovarian dysfunction develops against the background of various conditions, including dangerous diseases.

Breast diseases

A common cause of chest pain associated with the menstrual cycle is mastopathy. This name refers to a benign process in the gland that develops against the background of hormonal disorders. It consists of the growth of connective tissue located between the lobules. Initially, a diffuse form of the disease develops, when you can notice lumps in the upper parts of the breast and its soreness, which ceases to bother you with the onset of menstruation. With nodular mastopathy, the chest hurts severely, radiating to the shoulder and armpit. There is discharge from the nipple in the form of colostrum or clear liquid. Symptoms no longer disappear during menstruation.

Long-term and advanced mastopathy can pose a serious health hazard, as it can transform into a malignant process. Breast cancer is characterized by the following symptoms:

Retraction of the nipple or skin area.
Appearance of “lemon peel”.
Hyperemia or swelling of a certain area.
Various discharge from the nipple: cloudy, with blood, pus.
Deformation of the gland, violation of symmetry.

Upon palpation, a compaction is determined, fused to the skin, inactive. You may notice an enlargement of the axillary lymph nodes on the affected side.

If you experience pain in the gland, especially with some alarming symptoms, you should remember about oncological alertness.

Diagnostics

To finally ascertain the origin of the pain, additional examination should be carried out. This need arises in cases where we can clearly talk about the pathological nature of the symptoms. In this case, various laboratory and instrumental methods are used. These include the following:

Biochemical blood test (hormones, tumor markers).
Analysis of nipple discharge.
Ultrasound examination (ovaries, mammary glands).
X-ray mammography.
CT scan.

Based on the results of the study, it will become clear what caused the pathological chest pain. Further measures will be determined by the attending physician.

When a woman is bothered by pain in the chest during the second phase of the cycle, it is necessary to determine whether they are of a physiological nature. If normal processes are confirmed, there is certainly no need to worry. Otherwise, it is necessary to undergo a comprehensive examination and appropriate treatment.