Do nipples hurt before menstruation?

Before menstruation, many women will experience nipple pain or breast swelling. This is also a common phenomenon during women's menstrual period. Relatively speaking, female friends should not be too nervous or worried about this, because these symptoms can be relieved after menstruation and no special treatment is needed. However, if the pain is caused by some disease, then you must follow the doctor's treatment advice.

1. 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 a normal phenomenon. 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.

2. Premenstrual breast pain mostly occurs 3 to 5 days before menstruation. Severe patients may experience symptoms 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.

3. 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 cramps, 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.