Constant or periodic pain in the mammary glands is a concern for almost every woman at different ages. The incidence of mastopathy in Russia, according to various authors, ranges from 29 to 70% among women of reproductive age, and in the presence of gynecological diseases, the frequency increases to 92%. However, few consider this a significant reason for dealing with this problem to the doctor. Therefore, ideas and knowledge about the causes of chest pain are shrouded in many myths and fallacies, and a woman often does not realize that unpleasant sensations in the mammary glands can not only affect mood and overall well-being, but also affect the quality of life.

Myth No. 1. Pain in the mammary glands is normal and does not require treatment. 

That is exactly what most women think. But this is a deceptive and dangerous delusion.

“Any pain is a signal of the body about a malfunction in a particular system, ” comments Galina Petrovna Korzhenkova, MD, doctor, oncologist, radiologist, senior researcher at the Russian Cancer Research Center named after N. N. Blokhina RAMS. – Pain in the mammary glands is most often caused by hormonal imbalance. Violation of the level of hormones is accompanied by swelling of the glandular tissue, which causes a feeling of discomfort, tension, tenderness of the mammary gland, a sensation of an increase in breast size. Changes in the state of the glandular and connective tissue of the organ can subsequently lead to the development of mastopathy and other diseases. Pain is always an occasion to see a doctor who will help determine its cause and advise on means to eliminate complaints. Wearing the right underwear, a healthy lifestyle, and a balanced diet is the key to breast health. Local therapy using a special gel with natural progesterone will allow you to adjust the response of breast tissue to hormonal imbalance and reduce discomfort. ”       

•  This is important : nervous, irritable women are more likely to suffer from chest pain.
 

Constant stress and strong emotional experiences provoke pain in the mammary gland. The fact is that due to chronic overfatigue, violation of the regime of work and rest in the body of a woman, hormonal disturbance occurs. And stress or a nervous breakdown cause a real “hormonal storm” in the body. In turn, the mammary gland immediately responds to the slightest changes in the endocrine system, and, as a rule, this is manifested by chest pain.

Myth No. 2. Pain in the mammary glands in the puberty or in the premenopause does not require treatment.

The lack of action to eliminate the causes of pain can be the cause of the development of mastopathy. In recent years, it has been proven that the duration of pain in benign breast diseases is a risk factor for the occurrence of breast cancer. Moreover, one of the most common causes of pain in the mammary glands is hormonal. Therefore, it is not surprising that during the period of the most intense hormonal storms, a woman is faced with an imbalance in such a hormone-dependent organ as the mammary gland. The nature and intensity of pain can be very diverse: severity, tingling, burning, burning, pressure, acute pain, discomfort. These processes may, in particular, be accompanied by an increase in body temperature. 

The main danger here is that the pain can be prolonged, but not very intense: a woman eventually gets used to it and does not attach due importance to it. And as a result, either does not go to the doctor at all, or does it very soon. However, in the case where pain is a symptom of a disease, a later visit to a doctor always leads to difficulty in treatment.

•  This is important : combined oral contraceptives can cause pain in the mammary glands.
 

Any contraceptive contains in its composition a certain concentration of hormones. At the beginning of taking contraceptives, the body adapts to an additional dose of estrogen from the outside, this can cause pain in the mammary glands. In modern drugs, the doses of hormones are very small, so with well-chosen remedies, pain should not last for a long period of time. If pain in the chest does not go away 3 months after the start of use, you must consult a doctor who will adjust the course and select the appropriate hormonal drugs after a detailed examination, taking into account the age and general condition of the body. An additional local action that relieves pain can be a gel with progesterone, the mechanism of action of which is based on an increase in the level of progesterone in the tissues of the mammary gland.

Myth No. 3. Chest pain is always a sign of serious illness, including breast cancer. 

Chest pain is not always a sign of a serious cancer disease. However, this is a serious signal that you need to see a doctor and find out their cause. The reason may be not only fibrocystic mastopathy, which occurs in every third woman in our country, but also pronounced premenstrual syndrome, improper use of contraceptives, as well as natural hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy, and the onset of menopause. A significant role is played by chronic gynecological diseases, disordered sexual life, and thyroid function deficiency. In a healthy mammary gland, cancer is extremely rare. 

However, the risk of breast cancer in women suffering from chest pain (mastalgia) for a long time without adequate treatment is five times higher than in women without it. Therefore, if you experience regular pain in the mammary glands, you need to see a doctor and figure out the reasons.