Breasts sore/swollen?

[sunandshadow]

Is tenderness and swollenness of breasts a normal symptom of the beginning of a period, or is it a symptom I should worry about, possibly of breast cancer? I was on the pill for 10 years and I never had any issues with my breasts, but I've been off it for a bit over a year and a half now and my periods are still changing a bit. Never had such noticeable PMS before, and my cycle decided it's happier at 31 days than 28 (apparently that's close enough to normal that my doctor says it's nothing to worry about).

 

[poshbird]

Is tenderness and swollenness of breasts a normal symptom of the beginning of a period, or is it a symptom I should worry about, possibly of breast cancer? I was on the pill for 10 years and I never had any issues with my breasts, but I've been off it for a bit over a year and a half now and my periods are still changing a bit. Never had such noticeable PMS before, and my cycle decided it's happier at 31 days than 28 (apparently that's close enough to normal that my doctor says it's nothing to worry about).

In my experience, yes.......i always have very tender breasts for a couple of days before my period..........it's not always pleasant, but never lasts very long. I find wearing a well supporting bra can help

If it's happening at other times during your cycle then i would talk to your doctor though

 

[qrayze]

It's normal, don't stress

Symtoms of Breast Cancer

Discharge from the nipple
Lumps or thickening of the tissue
The appearance of puckering or pulled skin
Inverted nipple which was not inverted before
Sensation or pain or unusual appearance of the breast
A lump or swelling in the armpit
Change in the shape and size of the breast

If the tenderness and swelling only happen before your period, it's normal, but if it's a constant thing, then see your doctor.

I usually get the tenderness, but damn, I'd love to get the swelling too!

 

[cromsgirl]

Most of the time my breasts will get sore either when I'm ovulating or when I'm PMSing, sometimes both. It doesn't happen every month, but most of the time. As to the length of your period, mine was only 28 days the year I was on the pill. Before that It was 6 weeks from the time I started at 11 until I went on the pill at 22. It is still only about 32-35 days even 13 years later, with the occasional slightly longer cycle.

 

[favoritesgoddess]

I get both tenderness and swelling, but just a wee bit. They feel sore and achy on the sides.

 

[sunandshadow]

Thanks all, I'm glad to hear it's pretty normal. My period will be over in a day or two, then I'll be able to see if the soreness goes away - the do seem less swollen now.

 

[BellaIsabella]

I'd say more beginning of your period.

 

[_Virginia_]

Very normal.....I never had many PMS symptoms when I was younger but oh boy, I do now. My breasts get tender, sore and swollen every month.

 

[sunandshadow]

If anyone wanted to know how this turned out, I saw my doctor today. He says he thinks I have benign breast fibroids - basically not a problem except that my breasts will tend to hurt during my period from now on, joy. I'll have to have a test in a week or two to confirm it though.

 

[unregistered]

 

[blueberree]

Also might be a bit of a hormone imbalance

Sometimes if a woman has a bit more estrogen in relation to progesterone that can increase symptoms like you describe. Maybe as your body readjusts to producing these normal hormones on its own (sans birth control help) you'll experience some evidence of imbalance. I bet it evens out after a while and you'll have less issue with it.

 

[PennLady]

If anyone wanted to know how this turned out, I saw my doctor today. He says he thinks I have benign breast fibroids - basically not a problem except that my breasts will tend to hurt during my period from now on, joy. I'll have to have a test in a week or two to confirm it though.

Glad it's not serious. I was going to say that I get the tenderness, if not the swelling, before my period as well. Always smart to check out new things, though.

 

[Derya]

doctor may have suggested

caffiene tends to affect many people with this discomfort

I found removing caffiene from my diet really almost eliminated this irritation and also a gynocologist recommended use of Evening Primrose Oil oral supplements for this breast tenderness

that as with all herbals etc maybe run by your dr if you're gonna check it out but it was mentioned to me many yrs ago....I didn't use it regular cause I'm not good at remembering to take anything regular like vitamins etc so I can't speak to if it helps or not but for me eliminating caffiene minimized that discomfort in fibrocystic breasts and tissue 98% at least

 

[qrayze]

caffiene tends to affect many people with this discomfort

That makes sense; I stopped drinking anything with caffine in it and I didn't have any problems with soreness for the longest time. This month, however, I was drinking coffee and soda about 3 times a week and I've had the sorest nipples for over a day now. Last night, after drinking a can of Pepsi and removing my bra before bed, I noticed that my nipples were not only super sore, but also twice as big!


Just a tidbit of info for the OP:
I just had a breast exam done last week, and the nurse said that by law, practitioners only have to do them once every three years now, instead of every year, so it's very important to do one yourself every month. She said that the breasts naturally change during the week of and the week before your period, so the best time to do a monthly check is the week after your period. Only then, if you notice a change ,should you let your doctor know.

 

[yuna1981]

Hm... I get this too, though even when I was on the Pill I experienced breast tenderness and swelling. (As an aside, my nipples are normally fairly small but pre-period they get scarily huge. Does this happen to anyone else?)

I'm a coffee fiend. I really should try to kick the habit, the evidence is piling up. But I LOVE it. Guess I'll put up with the pain for a little longer...

 

[sunandshadow]

Back from the breast health center today. The gave me both a mammogram and a sonogram, then the head Dr. of the center herself told me everything looked normal, I do not have fibro-anyhting, I just apparently have more lumpy breast fat than usual. OMG am I sore from that ultrasound wand though, bet I have bruises under both breasts tomorrow. Totally worth it for the relief of being told I'm healthy though.