Why do both sides of my breasts hurt?

It is very common for women to experience breast pain in life. Many women have had this experience. There are many reasons for breast pain on both sides of women. The most common ones are breast hyperplasia or mastitis. Generally, it is best to go to the hospital for a check-up to see what the cause is. In fact, no matter what kind of breast pain it is, it should be taken seriously. In recent years, the incidence of breast cancer has been increasing.

What to check for breast hyperplasia

Inspection method:

Based on the above clinical manifestations and signs, it is not difficult to diagnose this disease, but it should be noted that a small number of patients (about 2-3%) may develop malignant transformation. Therefore, suspicious patients should be followed up and observed, generally once every three months. Patients with unilateral lesions and limited range of lesions should be especially vigilant.

Self-check:

Starting from the sitting position, any inversion of the nipple, indentation of the skin, or unusual structural shape are clues to cancer deep in the breast. These signs will appear if the patient claps her hands above her head to contract her pectoral muscles. When the woman is in a sitting position, it is easier to check the supraclavicular, infraclavicular, and axillary lymph nodes. Finally, palpation should be performed while sitting, using the fingers together to touch the area under the nipple.

Lie on your back to palpate a wider area. Place a pillow under the ipsilateral breast and raise the ipsilateral hand over the head so that the breast is evenly spread on the chest wall so that the fingers can easily touch the deep breast cancer. Use the palm of the index finger, middle finger, and ring finger instead of the fingertips for palpation. The palpation should be in a circular motion, rotating laterally from the nipple to the outside. It is especially important to examine the breast that extends into the armpit.

Breast examination should first observe the development of the mammary gland, whether the breasts on both sides are symmetrical, whether they are similar in size, whether the nipples on both sides are at the same level, whether the nipples are retracted and sunken; whether the nipples and areolas are eroded, the color of the breast skin, whether there is edema and orange peel-like changes, whether there are inflammatory manifestations such as redness and swelling, whether the superficial veins in the mammary gland area are dilated, etc.

For female friends who love beauty, it is natural to know about the symptoms of breast hyperplasia. For the health of breasts, they should learn to do regular breast self-examinations. If any discomfort occurs, go to the hospital in time.

Breast lumps

The lumps can occur in one or both breasts, single or multiple, and are usually located in the upper outer quadrant of the breast. It appears as flakes, nodules, cords, etc. of varying sizes, among which flakes are the most common. The border is not obvious, the texture is medium or slightly hard, there is no adhesion to the surrounding tissues, and there is often tenderness. Most breast lumps also change with the menstrual cycle. The lumps become larger and harder before menstruation, and shrink and soften after menstruation.

Breast pain

It is often a distending pain or stabbing pain, which may affect one or both breasts, with one side being more severe. Those with severe pain cannot touch the breast, and may even affect their daily life and work. The pain may radiate to the ipsilateral armpit or shoulder and back; some may manifest as nipple pain or itching. Breast pain often occurs or worsens a few days before menstruation and is significantly relieved or disappears after menstruation. The pain may also fluctuate with mood changes, fatigue, and weather changes. This pain related to the menstrual cycle and emotional changes is the main feature of the clinical manifestations of hyperplasia of the breast.

Nipple discharge

A small number of patients may experience nipple discharge, which is spontaneous and mostly light yellow or light milky white. In a few cases, discharge can be seen after squeezing the nipple. Be cautious if bloody or brown discharge occurs.

Therefore, for female friends who love beauty, if they find symptoms of breast hyperplasia during breast self-examination, it is best to go to the hospital for treatment. Of course, patients with breast hyperplasia do not need to be too afraid, because doctors have different treatment plans for different conditions, and surgical treatment is not necessarily required.