About this topic
Breast pain is also known as mastalgia. It is common among women, but men may also have breast pain. It is any discomfort or pain in the breast as well as the areola and nipples. Breast pain is not a common sign of breast cancer. ‚
There are three types of breast pain: ‚
- The pain may happen in the middle of the menstrual cycle. It will often involve both breasts and go away after a few days. This is cyclical pain.
- Pain may not be related to the menstrual cycle and often only involves one breast. This is noncyclical pain.
- The pain is felt in the breast. But, the cause of pain may be from other parts of the chest like muscles or worry. This is nonbreast pain. It is also called extramammary pain.
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you understand everything the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Use a warm compress on the painful breast to help relieve pain.
- Your doctor may give you a cream or ointment for pain relief. Use the cream as ordered by your doctor.
- Wear a well-fitting bra. When doing strenuous activities, wear a sports bra that can properly support your breasts.
- Keep track of when breast pain attacks. Write down when you have breast pain and when the pain is very bad. Also note what other signs you have.
- Avoid straining your chest and arm muscles.
- Learn to manage your stress. Learn breathing exercises and methods that can calm you.
- If you are taking hormones or birth control pills, your doctor may lower the dose. Your doctor may tell you to stop taking them.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- Your doctor may send you to a counselor if your pain is from stress.
- If your pain is caused by a lump, your doctor may talk to you about:
- Surgery
- Chemo
- Other treatments if your doctor thinks the lump may be cancer
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain
- Fight an infection
- Manage a cough
- Block or change your hormone levels
- Help with stress
Will physical activity be limited?
- Avoid doing sports that may make the pain worse, like tennis, volleyball, or swimming.
- Avoid activities that will strain your chest and arm muscles if the cause is muscle pulling.
What problems could happen?
- Breast mass
- Breast cancer
- Hormonal imbalance
- Lung problems
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, wound that will not heal.
- Bloody or clear discharge from your nipple
- New lump in the breast
- Sudden chest pain or breathing problems
- Health problem is not better or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what may help ease my pain.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have discharge from my nipples, a lump in my breast, chest pain, or trouble breathing.
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚