Chest pain on the eve of menstruation is common enough among the female population and is included in the concept of premenstrual syndrome. Its nature can be different: from uncomfortable sensations to a state where it is impossible to even touch the mammary glands. And what if the chest hurts after the menstrual period? Is it a norm or a pathology? The reasons for the development of this condition can be different: from hormonal failure and pregnancy to oncology. Not always a woman can independently understand what the problem is. But carefully analyzing your condition, you can make the most likely assumption and subsequently prevent discomfort.
Is this a problem?
Ideally, mammary glands should not cause significant discomfort to a woman, especially to disrupt her normal life activity. Amplification of sensations is allowed in the period of ovulation and on the eve of menstruation, and in the first two or three critical days all the troubles must pass. This is due to the change in the hormonal background of the woman.
Estrogens are responsible for the growth and development of the breast. These hormones cause a typical change in the glandular tissue of the organ during the period of ovulation, which leads to insignificant soreness for several days.
On the eve of menstruation, the level of progesterone rises in the blood. This contributes to the fact that the fluid lingers in the mammary glands, causing them to swell, tenderness and discomfort. Some women even note that the size increases by a position or two. As soon as there are spotting, the intensity of symptoms decreases. And in norm after critical days the breast should not cause anxiety. It is this period that is considered optimal for examination and any kind of examination of the mammary glands.
Causes of pain
When wondering why the chest hurts after a month, it is sometimes difficult to give the right answer without additional examination. Discomfort and discomfort often develop during puberty when the hormonal background, during pregnancy and in the pre-menopausal period. Mastalgia - a medical term for describing such conditions, includes cyclic or irregular pain in the mammary glands.
Pregnancy
Immediately after fertilization, the entire body of a woman is restructured, including hormones and active substances that the developing embryo releases. Progesterone prepares mammary glands for pregnancy during the second phase. Thanks to him, the breast tissue increases, the structure of the lobules changes. But finally, the process of subsequent lactation and the intensity of milk production is affected by prolactin, which is released by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland of the brain. Under the action of these two hormones, the mammary glands enlarge several sizes before the delay, become heavy and "poured", there is soreness and increased sensitivity to all kinds of irritants.
Painful sensations are characteristic for a short period, then the mammary glands become less sensitive.
Mastopathy
In every second woman, a thorough examination can reveal signs of mastopathy. There are several of its types and degrees of severity of symptoms. Mastopathy is an inadequate or excessive response of mammary gland tissue to hormonal stimulation. It often develops in women who use constantly contraceptive pills, neglecting the rules for the use of emergency contraception, nulliparous, never breast-feeding, etc. The lifestyle of modern girls predisposes to the development of mastopathy.
Pathology is characterized by the appearance of seals in the mammary glands of irregular shape and different sizes. At the same time, the pain syndrome is expressed, women often note that after a month's breast the chest is swollen and aching. Inspection and palpation, as well as ultrasound, help confirm pathology.
Hormonal failure
Painful sensations in the mammary glands due to changes in the hormonal background, normally after the onset of critical days should be significantly reduced and stopped. But with significant shifts, discomfort remains much longer. Factors that can cause malfunction and the appearance of pain in the mammary glands:
- The use of various drugs, in most of the oral contraceptives. The pains in the mammary glands of a girl who take these pills to normalize their hormonal background are more often noted, for example, with hyperandrogenemia - an increase in the level of male sex hormones, or in polycystic ovaries.
- With excessive use of drugs for emergency contraception.
- During the period of menstrual function.
- During the menopause, women often experience burning, discomfort and pain in the mammary glands.
- Excess body weight. This is due to the fact that the fat tissue is hormonal-active.
Injuries to
Breast can be injured not only with a bruise, but also as a result of wearing the wrongly selected underwear. Brassieres with "bones" or "push-up" effect especially often cause such symptoms. By giving the breast a forced position, they injure the tissues and cause unpleasant sensations regardless of the phase of the cycle.
Oncological diseases
Pain in malignant tumors indicates the neglect of the disease and a high risk of detecting metastases. Moreover, it arises independently of the phase of the cycle and has a different character - from the pulling constant to the acute periodic.
Sexual infections
Sexually transmitted infections can cause hormonal imbalance and cause pain in the mammary glands. Therefore, when the chest and stomach ache after the menstrual period, one should think about this situation.
Inflammation of the chest
If the chest hurts and the temperature after the menstruation has appeared, then first of all it is necessary to exclude mastitis in the background of lactation or outside it. Often, inflammation can occur after subcooling or being in a windy place. In this case, the skin over the hearth is hyperemic, the tissue of the breast can become denser, there is soreness, and sometimes a discharge of a different nature from the nipples. Such conditions require surgical treatment.
There is erysipelas of the skin of the mammary glands, in which the affected chest swells and grows in size, hurts when touched, the skin of the entire organ is red and hot to the touch.
Parasitic diseases
Some parasitic diseases, for example, echinococcosis, can occur with the appearance of cyst-like formations, including in the mammary glands. Initially, they can be mistaken for an ordinary tumor. The pain in this case is a constant bursting nature.
Adjacent pathologies
The pathology of the spine can often radiate into the mammary glands and the sternum, which can be mistaken for pain in the organ itself. Intercostal neuralgia can give sharp pain in this place.
Also, if you intensively give physical exertion to the pectoral muscles, you may later get the impression that the pain that appears as a result of the accumulation of lactic acid does not arise in the muscles, but in the mammary glands. However, once the body gets used to training, this feeling disappears.
Medications
In addition to contraceptives, antidepressants can cause some enlargement of the mammary glands and contribute to the appearance of pain. Symptoms go along with the cancellation of medicines.
How to analyze your condition?
In order to understand what is happening in the body, it is necessary to remember all the recent events: unusual physical activity, sexual contacts, unusual situations, etc. If the breast increases after the months, it may indicate a recent stress that could becomethe cause of hormonal imbalance, or training has benefited.
Next, a pregnancy test should be done, especially if the last critical days were not as usual: less in abundance and duration, smearing. If there are other signs that conception has occurred, you can immediately take a blood test for hCG.This is a more informative and reliable study.
With continuing symptoms of pain, you should consult a gynecologist and mammologist for examination and other causes.
Pain prevention
Life situations make their own adjustments in the health of every woman. But still, following simple recommendations, you can minimize the chances of the appearance of pathology:
- A healthy lifestyle is a multi-faceted concept. It is known that the development of various diseases depends on this by 60%.The concept includes proper nutrition. Products should be added to the diet in terms of their usefulness, subjecting to sparing cooking methods - baking, putting out, etc. A sufficient level of physical activity helps to overcome daily stress, as well as accelerate and normalize metabolic processes, including the production of sex hormones. The pernicious effects of alcohol and smoking have long been known. It is noticed that women, regularly addicted to tobacco, are more often sick with cancer of the cervix and breast.
- Regular examination by a gynecologist and, if necessary, a mammologist, will help to identify pathology before the development of irreversible consequences. Breast self-examination is an uncomplicated technique that every woman should possess.
- You should choose the right clothes. The supporting "bones" and the "push-up" effect, of course, visually correct some nuances, but a carefully selected bra made of natural fabrics and without such supporting elements will provide both beauty and health. If the loops fall, and the skin remains traces of linen - the size and shape do not fit.
Warning discomfort
In situations where mastalgia manifests itself monthly, you can use several tips to reduce pain:
- A week or two before the onset of menstruation, you can take light diuretics, while respecting the drinking regime. The liquid will accumulate in the lobules and between them in the mammary glands is not so intense that it will reduce the pain and discomfort.
- If the girl plans to take oral contraceptives, then you should choose those that are struggling with such manifestations of premenstrual syndrome.
- Planning pregnancy and preventing irregular sexual intercourse is the key to women's health.
We recommend reading the article on breast during menstruation. From it you will learn about the causes of pain, discomfort during menstruation and after it, the need to consult a doctor with severe pain and treatment.
When should I see a doctor?
Each woman should regularly visit the gynecologist at least once a year, whose duties include examining the mammary glands. If you suspect a pathology or if there are complaints, the doctor will always send you for additional examination and advice. After 40 - 45 years, it is recommended to have a mammogram every two years.
Immediately visit a doctor in the following situations:
- If there is a discharge from the nipples, even clear or milky. Particular attention should be paid to spotting.
- With severe chest pain and fever, and other signs of inflammation.
- When pathological formations are found in the tissues of an organ during self-examination.
Can the chest be aching after the menstrual period is normal? In most cases, these minor symptoms hide some kind of pathology. After analyzing your condition, you can try to understand what is the reason, but only the specialist will be able to fully understand it.