Breast Pain

What Is Breast Pain? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

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Medically Reviewed

Breast pain is usually a symptom of hormonal fluctuations, although upper body exercise and a too-tight bra can also cause discomfort.

A person with breast pain has discomfort in the nipple, skin, or underlying tissue of the breast. Breasts are very sensitive body parts, and, depending on breast size, pain and discomfort can occur with everyday activities. Hormonal fluctuations can also contribute to breast pain. During the menstrual cycle, various hormones cause changes in breast tissue that can lead to pain or discomfort in some women. Breast pain can also occur in girls and boys during puberty, also due to hormonal fluctuations.

Mild breast pain may be caused by small, non-cancerous tumors, while severe breast pain is usually caused by an injury or infection, such as mastitis. Breast pain and swelling in a nursing mother may be caused by breast engorgement.

Women who wear tight, push-up, underwire or sports bras can also experience breast pain, as poor-fitting bras can compress breast tissue, especially with large breasts.

Signs and Symptoms of Breast Pain

Common symptoms that occur with breast pain include breast lumps, breast swelling, and nipple discharge. Symptoms that occur with breast pain caused by an infection include skin redness, breast tenderness, and breast swelling.

A woman's menstrual cycle causes hormone fluctuations that make breasts feel swollen, lumpy, and sometimes painful, especially in the days before her period.

If breast pain is due to hormone fluctuations, you will usually notice the pain getting worse two to three days before your period. Sometimes the pain will continue throughout your menstrual cycle.

To determine whether your breast pain is linked to your menstrual cycle, keep a log of your periods and note when you experience pain throughout the month. After a cycle or two, a pattern may become clear.

Other potential causes of breast pain include

  • Breast structure and size
  • Breast cysts, trauma, prior breast surgery
  • Fatty acid imbalance
  • Hormonal medications, including some infertility treatments and oral birth control pills
  • Side effect of estrogen and progesterone hormone therapies
  • Some antidepressants
  • Menstruation and premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  • Breastfeeding mastitis, cracked, itching, burning, or blistering on the nipples after birth
  • Upper body exertion (raking, rowing, shoveling)

Treatment and Medication Options for Breast Pain

Treatment for breast pain depends on the underlying cause. Treatment for breast pain may include warm compresses, antibiotics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications for pain. Surgery may be required to remove a breast lump or tumor. In a nursing mother, a breast pump may reduce breast engorgement.