Some Causes Of Breast Tenderness

Many women experience breast tenderness and pain as part of PMS. These episodes are known officially as cyclic mastalgia, cyclic mastitis, or sometimes fibrocystic breast disease. Your symptoms may range from an uncomfortable feeling of fullness in your breasts to a pain that is severe enough to disrupt your life. At its worst, cyclic mastalgia can interfere with your sleep, your sexual relationships, and your ability to carry out your daily activities.

Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates milk production and the other breast changes necessary to prepare for breastfeeding. Excessive production of prolactin (a condition known as hyperprolactinemia) can cause breast swelling and tenderness, as well as other PMS symptoms.

Breast tenderness is a perfectly normal side effect of estrogen therapy - particularly in post menopausal women who have not been exposed to estrogen for many years. It should settle down within 2-3 months of therapy. Other causes of breast tenderness can include excessive use of caffeine; fibrocystic breast disease, which actually tends to get less after menopause; engorgement with milk, which can be seen in post menopausal women with thyroid disease, with the use of tranquilizers and other medications, and with pituitary (brain) tumors; blood clots in the veins of the breast; and breast cancer. Any patient considering estrogen replacement therapy should always have a thorough breast exam and an annual mammogram prior to therapy. If the breasts are sensitive, all caffeine products should be stopped. If the tenderness persists for, you should contact your health care provider. It may be necessary to lower the estrogen dose for several months to allow your body to adjust to these mild side effects. Once the side effects disappear, the dosage should be gradually increased until adequate blood levels exist to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit.

The following vitamins and herbs may be usefull.

Vitamins : E, B6

Herbs :
Dong Quai, Evening Primrose Oil. Evening primrose oil (EPO) is a safe natural product and is now an accepted treatment in Europe and North America for the cyclic breast pain of PMS. Doctors sometimes recommend it for other PMS symptoms, too, but evening primrose oil is probably most useful for relieving breast discomfort.

Black currant seed oil is a rich source of essential fatty acids. These are converted in the body to prostaglandin, which is necessary for fighting infection. Many women find this oil reduces breast tenderness associated with PMS.

The nutrients/herbs mentioned above reflect the major nutritional supplements that may help the condition. Please do remember however that nutritional supplementation is an adjunct to medical treatment and in no way replaces medical treatment.

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