My breasts are a little swollen and painful, what's going on?

The health of the breasts is of great importance. Due to the influence of various factors, the incidence of breast diseases has remained high. The biggest feature of this type of disease is pain or lumps, and pain is the most common condition. In daily life, some women experience breast swelling and pain. There are many reasons for this, some are physiological, and some are even breast cancer. So, what’s going on if your breasts feel a little swollen and painful? Let’s take a look below.

Pathological distension and pain are common in breast hyperplasia, mastitis and breast cancer.

There are 6 reasons for physiological bloating:

1. Breast pain during adolescence: The earliest breast pain in girls usually occurs between the ages of 9 and 13. At this time, the girl's breasts begin to develop. First, the nipple swells, and then a dome-shaped lump about the size of a pea or a bean appears in the breast tissue under the nipple, which is slightly swollen and painful. After menarche, it will disappear on its own as the breasts mature.

2. Premenstrual breast pain: More than half of women experience breast fullness, hardness, and tenderness before menstruation. In severe cases, the breasts may become swollen and painful even with slight vibration or collision, and the original granular or nodular feeling becomes more obvious. This is caused by increased estrogen levels in the body before menstruation, breast hyperplasia, and edema of the breast interstitial tissue. The above changes may disappear after menstruation.

3. Breast tenderness during pregnancy: Some women experience breast tenderness around 40 days after pregnancy due to the placenta and villi secreting large amounts of estrogen, progesterone and prolactin, which causes breast hyperplasia and breast enlargement. In severe cases, the pain may last throughout the pregnancy and no treatment is required.

4. Postpartum breast pain: Breast fullness, hardness and pain may often occur 3-7 days after delivery. This is mainly caused by breast lymph retention, venous congestion, interstitial edema and obstruction of mammary ducts. Prevention and treatment methods: Mothers should breastfeed as early as possible. If there is a lump, you can apply hot compress and massage the lump before breastfeeding; you can also use a breast pump to draw out milk to promote patency of the mammary ducts.

5. Breast pain after artificial abortion: After artificial abortion, some women complain of breast pain and can feel a lump. This is because the pregnancy is suddenly interrupted, and the hormone levels in the body drop sharply, causing the newly developed mammary glands to suddenly stop growing, resulting in breast lumps and breast pain.

6. Breast pain after sexual intercourse: This is related to the physiological changes in the breasts during sexual intercourse. People with low libido or disharmonious sex life cannot achieve sexual satisfaction, so breast congestion and swelling are not easy to subside, or they subside incompletely. Continuous congestion will cause breast pain. Therefore, women should attach importance to a good sex life, and those who have no orgasm or low sexual desire should seek medical attention.