Is it normal to have breast pain before your period?

I believe that many women have this situation. It’s been about a week since their period and their breasts start to swell and ache. Many women will be more worried when this happens at the beginning, but after a long time, they find that it is like this every time. So, is it normal to have chest pain before menstruation?

Premenstrual breast pain is a major manifestation of early menstrual syndrome. This type of swelling and pain usually disappears after menstruation, and it has a lot to do with your mood. Therefore, you should pay attention to relaxing, exercising, getting enough sleep, and not being tired or staying up late. Then this symptom will be relieved or disappear. Some people are prone to emotional instability, and the swelling and pain will be more obvious. Therefore, breast pain is not a normal phenomenon, but it is also related to hormone secretion.

Common categories of premenstrual breast pain

1. Kidney Qi Deficiency

In addition to breast pain, these women often suffer from fever, restless sleep, headache, dizziness, back pain, knee weakness and other symptoms, and should take care of themselves in time.

The treatment should nourish the kidney and protect the liver. The commonly used medicines include Adenophora, Ophiopogon, Rehmannia, Toosendan, Cyperus, Paeonia lactiflora, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Zedoaria.

2. Liver Qi Stagnation

Most of these women have a history of emotional distress or are under too much pressure in life. In addition to breast nipple pain that cannot be touched, they also suffer from anxiety, chest tightness and shortness of breath, rib pain, irritability, nausea, pain on both sides of the lower abdomen, dark blood clots during menstruation, unhappy marital life, and dark spots on the face.

For treatment, it is advisable to use Chinese medicinal materials that regulate the liver, promote qi circulation and harmonize the stomach. You can choose Linderae odoratum, Curcuma aromatica, Citron, Red Peony Root, Green Peel, Atractylodes macrocephala, Poria cocos, maltose, etc., which have the effect of relieving chest pain before menstruation.

3. Liver Qi Stagnation and Spleen Dampness

Common symptoms include premenstrual breast pain, obvious dull pain, lower abdominal distension and pain with a feeling of sinking, loss of appetite, weakness in the limbs, easy diarrhea, increased leucorrhea, heavy and light-colored menstruation, etc. The treatment requires invigorating the spleen, eliminating dampness and regulating qi. Commonly used medicines include coix seed, white atractylodes, poria, coix seed, ginger and magnolia bark, toosendan fruit, and julibrissin bark.

What to do if you have breast pain before your period

1. Protect against caffeine

Medical research has shown that quitting the habit of drinking coffee every day can significantly improve breast pain. Of course, not only freshly ground coffee, but also chocolate, Coca-Cola, tea and even painkillers containing caffeine should be avoided to relieve pain.

2. Eat low-calorie, high-fiber foods

In the week before menstruation, eating low-calorie, high-fiber foods such as whole grains and whole wheat bread as much as possible can also improve the body's nutritional balance and relieve bloating and pain.

3. Transformation bra

A very small bra will compress the breasts, resulting in poor blood circulation and causing swelling and pain, while a very large bra will cause the breasts to be unable to move and suffer damage during exercise.

4. Reduce salt intake and exercise

High-salt foods should be avoided 7-10 days before menstruation, as these foods can cause breast pain. People who often eat three meals a day in restaurants need to pay attention. The ingredients in restaurants are usually added with a lot of seasonings, so the salt content is much higher than that of their own dishes. If you eat very salty stews or snacks, don't drink a lot of water immediately, because this will not only fail to neutralize the salt, but also allow the salt to penetrate into the blood through the liquid and compress the blood vessels.

5. Heat

Applying heat is an immediate and effective way to provide relief. If you feel breast pain, you can wrap a cotton towel in a hand warmer and apply it to your chest. If the effect is not ideal, you can also prepare a basin of cold water, wet the towel, and apply hot and cold alternately.

Alternatively, you can use castor oil for hot compresses. Because castor oil contains substances that enhance the function of reticulocytes. Drop castor oil on gauze, and then apply it to the face, in order to avoid staining clothes, it is best to wrap it with plastic film, and then use a warm hand bag or hot towel to heat it for about an hour.