What causes breast neuralgia?

Women of all ages experience varying degrees of breast pain (also known as mastalgia). Pain may occur before and after menopause, but breast pain is most common in young women during their menarche. Nearly 70% of women report having experienced breast pain, but only about 15% seek medical attention and treatment.

Breast pain varies in severity and location. The pain may occur in both breasts or one breast or under the armpit. The severity level ranges from mild to severe. Changes in growth hormone that occur during menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause can also affect breast pain.

Here are eight common causes of breast pain:

1. Breast cysts

Clinically, the more common causes are poor mammary structure, inflammation, and compression caused by tumors. After the epithelial cells of the mammary lobe or lobule tube fall off or other substances block the tube, the milk flow is blocked and blocked in the tube, causing the tube to expand and form cysts. The cysts can be secondarily infected and cause subacute mastitis or breast cysts. If there is no secondary infection, it can last for a long time. The contents of the cyst will thicken, and over time the water in the cyst will be absorbed, causing the cyst to become hard. These cysts usually expand during the menstrual cycle and disappear during menopause in women.

2. Drug elements

Some medicines can cause breast pain. For example, oral growth hormone contraceptive measures, infertility treatment, postmenopausal intake of estrogen and estrogen preparations, intake of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressants, digitalis preparations, methyldopa, spironolactone and other diuretics, hydroxyandrostenediol, chlorpromazine and other drugs can cause breast pain in patients. Therefore, if patients experience breast pain after taking these drugs, they can consult a doctor to see if it is caused by the drug effect.

3. Breast surgery

Breast surgery and the development of scar tissue can cause breast pain.

4. Costochondritis

Costochondritis is divided into nonspecific costochondritis and infectious costochondritis. The most common type in clinical medicine is nonspecific costochondritis, which accounts for more than 95% of the consultation rate. It is a nonspecific, non-suppurative inflammation of the costal cartilage. It is a non-suppurative costochondritis space-occupying lesion caused by unclear reasons at the junction of the costal cartilage and the scapula. It is a self-limited disease with localized pain and swelling. The burning pain caused by costochondritis can be confused with breast pain.

5. Breast Cystic Fibrosis

Premenopausal women and women taking postmenopausal hormone therapy may experience increased breast swelling, a condition called cystic fibrosis of the breast.

6. Mastitis

Mastitis is caused by an infection of the breast. The most common cause is infection caused by blockage of the mammary duct during breastfeeding. But it does not only happen to breastfeeding women.

Symptoms of mastitis generally include fever, pain and fatigue, as well as redness, heat, swelling and pain in the breasts.

7. Unsuitable underwear

Ill-fitting bras can cause breast pain in women.

8. Breast cancer

Most breast cancer patients do not experience pain easily. Little do people know that inflammatory breast cancer and some tumors can cause breast discomfort in patients. If the patient has the following symptoms: breast pain that cannot be relieved in a short period of time, nipple discharge, breast lumps, etc., he or she should seek medical treatment.