One has chest pain, the other doesn't.

Breast pain is a common problem for women. It may be that both breasts hurt, or one breast hurts while the other does not. Both of these fall under the category of chest pain. Breast pain is related to many factors. Don’t be too nervous when it occurs. Many of them are caused by physiological factors. The key is that we must find out the main reasons and be able to judge our own situation. Let’s look at the causes of chest pain.

(I) Breast pain: Premenstrual breast pain

About 2/3 of women experience breast pain or discomfort before menstruation. The entire breast becomes swollen, hard, and tender, and the original granular or nodular feeling becomes more obvious. This is a physiological phenomenon. For most women, the swelling and pain are not serious and can be tolerated; however, a few sensitive ones feel unbearable swelling and pain when their breasts are subjected to slight vibrations or collisions. They may even be afraid to walk or dress, and hold their breasts with their hands all day long. This is mainly caused by increased estrogen levels in the body 1 to 2 weeks before menstruation, breast hyperplasia, cell enlargement, and edema of the breast interstitial tissue.

After menstruation, estrogen levels drop, the above changes disappear, the breasts become loose and soft, the swelling and pain suddenly disappear, and the next premenstrual symptoms reappear. Generally, there is no need to deal with this. Just keep a cheerful mood and relax mentally. For severe cases, you can pay attention to eating a light diet or take a small amount of diuretics, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, Lutuo Paste or Xiaoyao Powder before menstruation.

(ii) Breast pain: Breast tenderness during pregnancy

Breasts may feel swollen 40 days after menstruation stops. In severe cases, there may be breast and nipple pain, which may last throughout pregnancy. This is because the placenta and villi secrete large amounts of estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin, which cause breast hyperplasia and breast enlargement. It is also a preparation for breastfeeding and is a physiological phenomenon. As your breasts grow larger, you should promptly change to a wider bra and avoid binding your breasts. If the bloating stops suddenly, it often indicates that the fetus may have died, and you should go to the hospital for examination immediately.

(III) Breast pain: postpartum breast pain

Three days after delivery, the breasts become swollen, painful, and hardened, even extending to the accessory breast glands in the armpits, accompanied by low fever. This is mainly due to breast lymph retention, venous congestion and interstitial edema, and obstructed mammary ducts. Generally, the pain will subside after 7 days of delivery when the milk starts to flow smoothly. Methods to prevent and treat postpartum breast pain include:

1. In late pregnancy, squeeze out a small amount of colostrum in the breast to prevent it from being retained in the duct and forming a thrombus, blocking the mammary duct;

2. Breastfeed as soon as possible after delivery;

3. Apply warm compress to the breasts before breastfeeding and do some gentle massage to promote smooth milk flow;

4. Apply cold compresses to breasts between feedings to reduce congestion;

5. When the infant's sucking power is insufficient, you can squeeze with both hands or use a breast pump to assist in the discharge of milk; ⑥ You can use 6 grams of Bupleurum, 12 grams of Angelica, 9 grams of Vaccaria, 9 grams of Rhizoma Cyperi, and 9 grams of Glehnia littoralis to make a decoction for oral administration, or take Jiyuan Shenbao Lutuo Paste, 10 grams at a time. It is very important to deal with milk stasis correctly, otherwise it may cause mastitis, so you must try your best to do it as mentioned above, especially breastfeeding to suck out the remaining milk.

After an artificial abortion, some patients complain of breast pain and can feel a breast lump. If the symptoms appear a long time after the abortion, people tend to forget or ignore that the symptoms are related to the abortion. Artificial abortion is different from natural childbirth. The latter is a natural process of maturity, while artificial abortion is an extraordinary state caused by human interference.

Generally, the breasts begin to swell, become fuller, and enlarge, and the mammary glands gradually develop 4 weeks after menopause. When pregnancy is suddenly interrupted and hormone levels drop sharply, the newly developed mammary glands will suddenly stop growing, the cells will become smaller, and the alveoli will disappear. This aggregation and recovery is often incomplete and uneven, just like newborn leaves are not easy to wither and fall off, thus causing breast lumps and breast pain. It is reported that the incidence of breast hyperplasia also rises sharply with the number of induced abortions. According to foreign reports, the more abortions you have, the greater your risk of breast cancer. Many data have confirmed that the impact of abortion on breasts is not only painful, but can also be long-lasting and potentially harmful. Therefore, abortions should be avoided as little as possible or avoided, and contraception should be effectively implemented.

(V) Breast pain: breast hyperplasia breast pain

Fibrocystic breast disease is the most common cause of breast pain, and more than 80% of fibrocystic breast disease will cause breast pain to varying degrees. The pain site is often inconsistent with the location of the lump, and often radiates to the armpits, shoulders and back. It may be affected by menstruation, mood, weather changes and other factors, and often has automatic relief or irregular paroxysmal attacks. Lumps with unclear boundaries, varying sizes, hard texture, and good mobility can be felt in the breast. Some lumps have granular surfaces. This disease accounts for more than 2/3 of breast diseases and is more common in people aged 35 to 45. It is especially common in the elderly who are unmarried, childless, not breastfeeding, depressed, or have sexual dysfunction.

Handicapped women. If you find the above conditions, you should ask a doctor for a physical examination to rule out cancer and follow up regularly. Mild pain does not need to be treated. For severe pain, iodine, methyltestosterone, vitamin B1, vitamin P6, vitamin E, phenergan and Chinese medicine deer tuo ointment can be used appropriately.

(I) Mastodynia

The pathogenesis of mastalgia is similar to that of primary dysmenorrhea and is quite common. Its characteristics are breast pain without breast lumps, severe and persistent distension and pain, like a needle or knife-like pain, and sometimes dull pain. The pain is of variable location and severity on both sides, and may radiate to the armpits, shoulders, back and upper limbs. In severe cases, the patient cannot get dressed and is afraid to walk. During examination, a thickening or granular feeling may be seen on the upper outer part of the breast, with slight tenderness, but no lumps.

Menopausal women may also experience unbearable breast pain, often accompanied by breast warmth and discomfort, which is related to the secretion of large amounts of gonadotropin and autonomic nervous system disorders in their bodies. The treatment of mastalgia is better with Chinese medicine to soothe the liver and relieve pain. In most cases, the pain will be relieved or even disappear after a period of treatment, and some may recur. In a few cases, lumps will develop later, forming breast hyperplasia, so regular check-ups are required.

(ii) Mastitis pain

Local redness, swelling, heat and pain in one breast, accompanied by increased body temperature, is often a sign of mastitis. In the early stages, antibiotics (such as penicillin or the Chinese medicine dandelion) and hot compresses can be used to reduce inflammation and swelling. If an abscess is formed in the late stage, incision and drainage are required.

(III) Ovarian tumor breast pain

Because ovarian tumors produce large amounts of estrogen, they stimulate breast hyperplasia and cause breast pain. About 20% of patients with ovarian tumors have concurrent breast diseases, including breast pain and breast cancer. For unexplained breast pain, a gynecological examination should be performed to determine whether there is an ovarian tumor.

Breast cancer pain

48% of breast cancer patients experience varying degrees of dull pain and tingling in the breast, which gradually worsens and involves the shoulders and back. About 13% of breast cancer patients have breast pain as an early symptom, and 6% of these patients have breast pain as the only early symptom, that is, they only have breast pain and no lump can be felt. In the late stages of breast cancer, the pain is severe and unbearable, and progressively worsens. Breast cancer is more common in women over 50 years old. Therefore, older women with persistent breast pain, fixed breast pain, and heaviness in the shoulders should be closely followed up and not miss the opportunity for early diagnosis.