Breast pain before menstruation

In our lives, many women experience breast pain before menstruation. In fact, this is a relatively normal physiological manifestation, because before menstruation, the female hormones in women's bodies continue to rise more rapidly. When the female hormones reach the women's breasts, they will feel something rising and accumulating in the women's breasts before bursting. So what should I do if my breasts are swollen and painful before my period?

Generally speaking, breast pain three days before menstruation may be a sign that menstruation is about to come or that there is early pregnancy, which is normal. However, some female friends experience breast pain too early, such as breast pain after menstruation ends or after ovulation, and it hurts when they put on underwear or touch it. This phenomenon is pathological and must be treated as soon as possible, otherwise it is easy to develop gynecological diseases.

Most cases of premenstrual breast pain occur 3 to 5 days before menstruation. In severe cases, the pain may occur two weeks after menstruation, around the time of ovulation. Some people experience pain in the armpits or even in the nipples. Systemic symptoms include mild edema, headache, insomnia, irritability, emotional instability, back pain, lower abdominal pain, and difficulty in defecation. The symptoms disappear after the menstrual period, and this happens repeatedly, once a month. If not properly treated, they will become more and more serious. Over time, they can easily lead to other diseases, the most common of which are breast hyperplasia, breast fibroid tumors or cysts. As a result, menstruation gradually becomes irregular, with scanty menstrual flow and subsequent infertility.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the breasts are governed by the stomach meridian, and the nipples are governed by the liver meridian. Therefore, all breast diseases, poor development or breast atrophy are treated by regulating the liver and stomach. Prescribing the right medicine according to the different conditions will often achieve good results. The treatment of this disease is classified as follows:

(1) Liver depression and Qi stagnation: Most of these women have a history of poor mood or excessive stress in life. In addition to breast nipple pain that cannot be touched, they also have symptoms such as irritability, chest tightness, rib pain, irritability, nausea, swelling and pain in the lower abdomen, dark blood clots in menstruation, sexual disharmony, and dark spots on the face. Treatment should focus on regulating the liver, qi and stomach. Commonly used medicines include Linderae odoratum, Curcuma aromatica, Citrus citron, White peony root, Citrus aurantium, Atractylodes macrocephala, malt, Rhizoma Smilacis Glabrae, etc.

(ii) Liver depression and spleen dampness: Common symptoms include premenstrual breast pain, obvious tenderness, lower abdominal pain with a feeling of heaviness, poor appetite, weakness in the limbs, easy diarrhea, excessive vaginal discharge, and light-colored menstruation. Treatment requires strengthening the spleen, eliminating dampness and promoting qi circulation. Commonly used medicines include Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Coix seed, Magnolia officinalis, Toosendan fruit, Albizzia julibrissin bark, etc.

(III) Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency: In addition to breast pain, women of this type often experience fever, restless sleep, headache and dizziness, hot hands and feet, red lips, easily ulcerated lips and tongue, thin body, inability to gain weight, back pain, weak knees, etc. Treatment should focus on nourishing the kidney and liver. Commonly used medicines include Adenophora Root, Ophiopogon japonicus, Rehmannia glutinosa, Toosendan Fructus, Cyperus rotundus, White Peony Root, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Eupatorium fortunei.

To treat this disease, it is advisable to persevere. The golden time to take the medicine is to start taking it when the breasts are swollen before menstruation and continue until the swelling and pain disappear during menstruation. After three menstrual cycles, most breast swelling and pain will be cured. It is worth mentioning that in addition to taking medicine, it is more important to maintain an optimistic mood for breast pain, avoid getting angry or sulking, exercise more and participate in appropriate social activities, eat less salt and spicy food one week before menstruation, especially avoid eating raw and cold food, so that the best effect can be achieved with medication!