Why do I feel breast swelling before my period?

Some female friends will feel breast distension and pain before their period, which will make people feel very uncomfortable, but there will be no special symptoms. They just feel uncomfortable occasionally. If this is the case, there is no need for systematic treatment, but if the symptoms become more and more severe and there is no improvement after the end of menstruation, you should go for a check-up.

Generally there are no special symptoms, but sometimes there may be general discomfort, fatigue, breast tenderness, swelling of hands and feet, soreness and heaviness in the lower abdomen and back, etc. There may also be constipation, diarrhea (prostaglandin effect), frequent urination and poor appetite. Some patients experience symptoms such as headache, insomnia, palpitations, depression or irritability, which usually disappear naturally after menstruation.

One of the physiological characteristics of the female reproductive system is its cyclical changes, and menstruation is an important sign of this cyclical change. The menstrual cycle is mainly regulated by the interaction between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovary. The hypothalamus regulates the function of the pituitary gland, and the pituitary gland regulates the function of the ovary.

The endometrium undergoes cyclical changes under the action of ovarian hormones. The sex hormones produced by the ovaries, in turn, act on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, affecting the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, which is the so-called feedback effect; when their release is inhibited, it is called negative feedback, and when their release is promoted, it is called positive feedback.

The relationship between the changes in blood hormones during a normal menstrual cycle and the ovaries and endometrium is as follows: After the corpus luteum atrophies in the previous menstrual cycle, the secretion of estrogen and progesterone decreases, relieving the inhibition of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone produced by the hypothalamus enters the anterior pituitary through the pituitary portal vein system, promoting the secretion and release of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. Under the synergistic action of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, the follicles in the ovaries gradually develop and mature, and produce estrogen, causing proliferative changes in the endometrium. After the follicles mature, the first peak of estrogen appears in the body.

The increase in estrogen secretion produces a feedback effect on the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, inhibiting the production of follicle-stimulating hormone, promoting the increase in luteinizing hormone secretion, resulting in a luteinizing hormone peak and triggering ovulation. After ovulation, the corpus luteum is formed and secretes estrogen and progesterone. Under their combined action, the endometrium undergoes typical secretory phase changes. After ovulation, estrogen levels temporarily decrease, followed by a second, lower peak.