The human chest is a pair of mammary glands that are attached to the pectoral muscles. In men, the mammary glands do not normally develop and are rudimentary; in women, during puberty, the breasts enlarge and take on a hemispherical shape.

Based on these physiological characteristics, most women often mean pain in the mammary gland by chest pain, and pain in the pectoral muscles for men. Moreover, women usually associate this manifestation with the approaching menstruation and consider it normal, while men attribute the pain to malaise or excessive zeal in training in the gym.

However, for both, chest pain can be not only a physiological manifestation (for example, during menstruation, during lactation or after excessive exercise), it can also serve as an alarming symptom of a serious illness.

Causes and manifestations of chest pain

Hormonal abnormalities in the body

The mammary gland is an organ whose growth and development is controlled by sex hormones. Therefore, the main explanation for why a woman’s breasts hurt is a change in the normal ratio of hormones affecting the tissues and cells of the mammary glands. Hormonal levels in the fairer sex may change due to the reasons listed below.

Monthly fluctuations in different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Before menstruation, there is an increase in the content of hormones in the body (which is considered normal), designed to maintain a possible pregnancy. At this time, the breast becomes enlarged and slightly sore due to stretching of the capsule, or itches due to irritation of the superficial nerve endings of the stretched skin. When you press on the nipple, a few drops of colorless or yellowish liquid may come out. With the onset of menstruation, the woman’s painful sensations disappear, and the mammary glands after menstruation return to their original size and become soft.

In the middle of the cycle, there may also be short-term painful sensations in the chest along with pain in the lower abdomen, arising under the influence of hormones that ensure the release of the egg from the ovary. After ovulation, pain of this kind disappears without a trace, the breast tissue does not change.

If a woman has a hormonal imbalance in the direction of predominance of estrogens for a long time, their excessive amount can lead to constant tissue swelling and the development of mastopathy. In such cases, the chest becomes full, swollen and very painful. The pain can be so intense that the woman cannot wear a bra or other tight clothing. In addition, changes appear in the breast tissue in the form of heaviness or small nodules.

Mastopathy is no longer considered a physiological manifestation of a difference in hormone levels; it is a disease that requires a careful approach to treatment.

The influence of the hormones progesterone and prolactin during pregnancy

In the first trimester of pregnancy, the breasts may hurt due to the effect of progesterone, a hormone that maintains pregnancy, on the breast tissue. Under its influence, the alveolar tissue grows, the gland increases in volume, preparing to perform the subsequent function of lactation.

Around the beginning of the 12th week, when the continuation of pregnancy passes to the placenta, chest pain decreases. At the end of the third trimester of pregnancy, the body begins to prepare for childbirth and feeding, prolactin production increases, so the breasts again become full and painful.

Increased milk production and enlargement of the gland during lactation

Immediately after childbirth, due to prolactin and oxytocin, there is a sharp increase in milk production and release, which leads to painful breast enlargement. If breastfeeding is observed “on demand,” pain in the mammary glands of a nursing mother quickly disappears.

If milk stagnation occurs or an infection occurs, then mastitis develops - a disease that is characterized not only by severe pain in the chest, but also by redness of the skin and the appearance of a swollen area of ​​compaction (usually on the sides of the mammary glands), as well as a deterioration in the general condition of the woman and an increase in body temperature .

Changes in the gland due to termination of pregnancy

After an abortion, your breasts may hurt for about a week. This time is necessary to naturally reduce the concentration of pregnancy hormones and reduce their effect on the mammary glands. If pain persists for a longer period after termination of pregnancy, you should consult a doctor to find out the cause. One of the options for the development of such a situation could be the continued growth of the ovum after an unsuccessful abortion, for example, if a woman tried to get rid of the pregnancy on her own with the help of medications.

In other cases, the cause of prolonged chest pain after abortions (especially frequent and repeated ones) are severe disturbances in the regulation of sex hormones, which can lead to mastopathy, various genital diseases and infertility.

Gynecomastia

Hormonal imbalances in the male body can lead to gynecomastia (literally meaning “female-like breasts”). When it appears, in addition to pain in the chest, in men alveolar tissue grows, the mammary gland enlarges and takes on the appearance of a woman’s breast.

This pathology occurs when there is a disruption in the body of the stronger sex in the production of male sex hormones and/or excessive secretion of female ones. The cause of such hormonal imbalance and subsequent gynecomastia can be:

• presence of tumors;
• use of hormonal drugs for the treatment of cancer (testicular cancer),
• taking medications to quickly gain muscle mass (anabolic steroids);
• diseases of the endocrine system (diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction);
• liver or kidney disease;
• taking alcohol and drugs (marijuana, heroin);
• the use of certain types of antibiotics, tranquilizers, as well as drugs for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.

Non-hormonal causes of pain

The chest can also hurt for reasons not related to hormones, for example, after bruises and against the background of certain infectious diseases (shingles). Also, pain in the chest area in both men and women can occur after training with weights, for example: in cases of selecting the wrong weight, incorrect technique, or working with record weights.

A situation of unilateral pain, when, for example, the right chest hurts in isolation, can also appear due to injury and sprain (most often, damage to the pectoral muscles and ligaments occurs when performing bench presses). In the event of such an injury, pain may be accompanied by swelling, swelling and hematomas in the sternum and shoulder, as well as weakness or dysfunction of the arm and disruption of the natural contour of the injured pectoral muscle.

If the left breast hurts in isolation, first of all it is necessary to exclude diseases of the cardiovascular system (angina pectoris, heart attack), since ischemic pain in the heart can be disguised as pain in the mammary gland, and also radiate (“shoot through”) to the area of ​​the scapula, neck, jaw , abdomen, shoulder or left arm. Pains of this nature are usually very strong, tearing, pressing and burning, which distinguishes them from muscle pain.

Also, pain not related to the heart may appear in the left side of the sternum, the cause of which may be:

• cervical or thoracic osteochondrosis;
• scoliosis;
• muscle weakness in the thoracic spine;
• costal cartilage disease;
• stress, depression or neurosis;
• bloating;
• disease of the stomach or pancreas;
• and much more.

Breast cancer

The cause of pain in the breast area, and in both women and men, can also be cancer. Despite the fact that men's mammary glands are not naturally developed in the event of endocrine disorders, as well as due to cirrhosis of the liver, genetic diseases, unfavorable heredity or radiation exposure, they are also susceptible to breast cancer, although this occurs very rarely. In women, on the contrary, breast cancer ranks first among cancer diseases.

Typically, in the early stages, breast cancer is painless, but in both sexes, symptoms characteristic of cancer appear in the breast area: a hard nodule can be felt, skin changes (“lemon peel”) and nipple retraction are visible, as well as enlarged lymph nodes.

For early detection of both malignant and benign neoplasms in the mammary gland, it is necessary to regularly conduct breast self-examination. The video will tell you how to do this correctly.

Diagnosis and treatment for chest pain

Treatment of chest pain resulting from injuries to ligaments and muscles should begin with a visit to the surgeon; if pathologies in the heart are suspected, you should urgently consult a cardiologist; for osteochondrosis and other problems with the spine - to a neurologist; for problems with the gastrointestinal tract - to a gastroenterologist. Or you can simply seek help from your local therapist, and then follow his direction.

In case of pain in the breast area, as well as the appearance of other symptoms (enlargement of the gland, discharge, etc.), women need to make an appointment with a mammologist or gynecologist, and men with a mammologist or surgeon. The doctor will pay attention to appearance mammary glands, symmetry, presence of seals and their consistency, condition of the nipple and breast skin, as well as axillary, supra- and subclavian lymph nodes. Already at the stage of questioning and external examination, a preliminary cause of pain in the chest can be established.

Further examination to identify the causes of breast pathologies may include the following steps:

1. Ultrasound - allows you to determine formations in the soft tissues of the breast larger than 0.5 cm. This study is preferable for young and nulliparous women.
2. Mammography is a type of X-ray examination of the mammary glands, which detects even the smallest nodules located deep in the breast. This method is widely used both for primary diagnosis and for monitoring the growth rate of detected tumors. Young women undergo mammography only when indicated.
3. Ductography is the introduction of a special substance into the milk ducts for subsequent x-rays. The contrast fills the branched system of excretory ducts, and this makes it possible to assess the preservation of the internal structure and functional tissue of the mammary glands.
4. Biopsy - this method allows, without an incision, using a very thin needle, under the control of an ultrasound sensor, to take a piece of breast tissue for microscopic examination and determine the type of changed cells. The choice of treatment tactics often depends on the results of the biopsy - if malignant cells are detected, radical removal of the mammary gland is performed.
5. MRI and/or ultrasound of the chest and abdominal cavity, pelvis and head - to determine the primary disease that caused chest pain (if there is a suspicion that changes in the mammary gland are the consequences of metastasis of a tumor of the uterus, lungs, liver and other organs) .

The prescribed treatment will depend on the identified cause that may be causing the chest pain.

So, for example:

• for manifestations of premenstrual syndrome or ovulatory pain, treatment is usually limited to the use of vitamins and herbal preparations with mild hormonal activity;
• if purulent inflammation of the mammary gland is detected, it is often recommended to take a course of antibacterial drugs orally; sometimes it is necessary to open and drain the lesion;
• diffuse forms of mastopathy, as well as the manifestation of gynecomastia in men, can usually be corrected by prescribing hormonal drugs;
• nodules, cysts and tumors may be removed surgically;
• If your chest hurts due to muscle strain or inflammation, anti-inflammatory tablets and ointments, as well as warm compresses, will help.

You need to know that the severity of chest pain is not always directly proportional to the severity of the disease. Sometimes a mild form of mastopathy leads to severe pain even from contact with clothing. Conversely, some forms of cancer are painless until the final stages.

Therefore, if painful breasts bother you periodically or constantly for quite a long time, the best solution would be to seek help from a qualified specialist.

Breast pain can be caused by many reasons. These may be hormonal changes, breastfeeding, muscle pain, infections, breast diseases (tumors), incorrectly selected bra, taking hormonal medications, lack of sexual relations.

70% of women of childbearing age complain of chest pain. Unpleasant sensations during hand movements, pain when touching the mammary gland are signs of mastalgia. Mastalgia can appear during menstruation and go away after it ends; such pain is called cyclical. Systematic cyclical pain covers both breasts, their upper and outer areas become the most sensitive. The woman feels the heaviness and fullness of the mammary glands, the breasts become full and swollen. Resting on your stomach becomes impossible, your favorite bra is pressing. There are changes in the woman's behavior, she becomes irritable and unbalanced. Cyclic pain appears a week before the onset of menstruation and dulls after its onset.

The appearance of cyclical mastalgia can be explained by a hormonal disorder that occurs during menstruation. Pregnant and menopausal women do not experience such discomfort; hormonal disruptions do not occur in their bodies. Cyclic pain can be triggered by the use of certain hormonal drugs used for and contraceptives. The cyclic type is the most common type of pain in women under forty years of age. But even after forty, cyclical pain may not subside, the reason is the use of hormonal drugs or antidepressants.

Mastalgia tends to bother a woman on other days; pain not associated with the menstrual cycle is called non-cyclical. Non-cyclical pain affects one breast, usually a separate part of it. Often, mastalgia also affects the armpit area, limiting arm movements. Aching sensations with sudden movements and pressure develop into severe pain. The cause of non-cyclical pain is non-hormonal changes occurring in the chest. These are anatomical changes in tissue. According to statistics, women over forty suffer from non-cyclical mastalgia.

Irregular pain may be due to other reasons not related to the mammary gland. For example, muscle pain may radiate to the chest.

A woman is suspicious; after reading about any disease, she begins to sound the alarm; she observes some of the symptoms in herself. Don’t rush to panic; you can’t deal with the mass of diagnoses on your own. Even if you find a lump, do not despair; be sure to go to an appointment with a gynecologist or mammologist.

To make it easier to make the correct diagnosis, consider answering some questions:

1. How long have you been in pain?
2. or both?
3. Does pain depend on the monthly cycle?
4. When did you notice the lump?
5. When was the last time you had an ultrasound or mammogram?
6. What medications do you use?
7. Have you noticed any discharge from the nipple?

Having received the necessary information, the doctor will make the necessary appointments. Be attentive to your own health; timely diagnosis and treatment can prevent serious consequences.

Breasts are one of the most important components and decoration of a woman’s appearance, and her health is the first and main thing that should be taken care of. But, at the same time, chest pain is a feeling that every woman has experienced at least once. In some cases, you should not attach much importance to this, since various changes are constantly occurring in the breasts under the influence of female hormones; in some cases, you should immediately run to the doctor (???). How to find out what causes chest pain, when is it time to go to the doctor and how to correctly determine the cause? We will try to figure this out in today's article.

Cause of chest pain

Pain and the menstrual cycle

The most common and common cause of chest pain is changes caused by hormones. During the cycle, the amount of hormones in a woman’s body constantly changes, stagnation occurs and the ducts become clogged, and before ovulation, the amount of epithelium in the breasts increases, as a result of which the breasts slightly increase in size, hurt, and the body temperature rises slightly. Approximately the same sensations occur before the start of the cycle, when glandular tissue grows in the chest. However, by the end of menstruation it atrophies, and the chest pain goes away. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that if the pain during this period is severe, then this may be a sign of the development of mastopathy, the distinctive features of which are the appearance of lumps in the breast. In this case, you should definitely consult a mammologist, because mastopathy in some cases can lead to the occurrence of low-quality tumors. If the pain is mild and occurs with the frequency mentioned above, this is not a deviation from the norm.

Hormonal imbalance

Another cause of chest pain may be hormonal imbalance. It, in turn, can be caused by taking inappropriate oral contraceptives, menopause, pregnancy, changes in the body during puberty, or even iodine deficiency. In some cases, hormonal imbalance can also be caused by excess weight, as male sex hormones can accumulate in fat tissue. Such pain cannot be ignored; it may be one of the causes of a tumor in the mammary gland. You should consult with a gynecologist and endocrinologist, undergo the appropriate tests, after which the doctor will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

An equally common cause of chest pain is pregnancy. Pregnancy, like lactation, also causes hormonal imbalance in the body, but this is a natural phenomenon. Moreover, during pregnancy and lactation, major changes occur in the breast. It is also worth remembering that pregnancy can be either normal or ectopic, so if your breasts hurt badly, you should first check for pregnancy. In addition, it is advisable to plan your first pregnancy before the age of 30, since later breast cells are not always able to properly adapt to the hormonal storm caused by late pregnancy.

Mechanical damage

The breast is the most tender place for a woman, and any mechanical damage can cause the formation of a cyst. But not only impacts can cause mechanical damage - damage can be caused by excessive squeezing or compression. That is why it is worth paying special attention to choosing the right bra. A high-quality bra should not pinch the chest area (especially in the armpit area - there are lymphatic ducts, next to the axillary lymph nodes). In addition, please note that in the warm season, it is better to choose soft cups without foam, so as not to create a greenhouse effect in a single bra cup, because large breasts are beautiful, but healthy ones are much better.

Plastic surgery

A special case of breast compression is increasing its size using silicone implants. The implants themselves often provoke mastopathy because they compress the glands. If there is a bad heredity in the family for breast diseases, then implants are strictly contraindicated. In addition, they feel very different from natural fabric - they are always colder. In any case, the intervention of a plastic surgeon is permissible only for healthy breasts, after the birth of the last child (during pregnancy and possible lactation, the implants will have to be removed, and this is another operation) and only by an experienced doctor in a good medical center.

Stress

As a rule, women are more emotional than men. Constant stress affects the production of hormones, which affects the condition and health of the breast. Therefore, it is worth thinking about whether what is causing your chest pain is located directly around? Difficult work situations, family discord - and nerves are constantly on edge. Here proven mild sedatives based on motherwort, valerian, mint, as well as other relaxation methods will come to the rescue.

Poor nutrition

It is known that caffeine and caffeinated drinks, as well as salty and spicy foods, alcohol, etc., retain fluid in the body, which can cause swelling and pain in the chest, so you should not abuse these products. However, recommendations to limit these products are also justified for many other cases.

Malignant tumor

The most unpleasant cause of chest pain is breast cancer. It should be noted that this type of cancer is treated most effectively. In addition, recognizing it in the early stages allows you to achieve stable remission without relapses in the future.

Only a doctor can correctly determine what causes chest pain. But even if, at first glance, there is no pain or cause for concern, you should definitely be examined by a mammologist twice a year, and about once every three months you should conduct a breast self-examination to check for the appearance of possible tumors.

Chest pain can appear in women of childbearing age, but before menopause. In old age they hardly bother women. Both breasts can hurt at once or separately, they can only bother you before (or during) your period, or the pain can last for several weeks. The most common reason why breasts can suddenly become sore is hormonal changes in a woman’s body associated with the menstrual cycle. About a week before the onset of menstruation, many women, among other unpleasant symptoms of PMS, also notice chest pain. In addition, the breasts may increase in size, and the nipples become so sensitive that any friction causes pain to the woman.

Another common cause of chest pain can be mastopathy. If your breasts hurt outside of premenstrual syndrome, and over time the discomfort does not disappear, and also if you find some lumps in the breasts, this may just be mastopathy - benign changes in the tissue of the mammary gland.

The breasts can suddenly become sore due to hormonal changes associated with pregnancy or approaching lactation. According to some experts, women who are not sexually active may suffer from chest pain. And finally, trauma or mechanical damage to the mammary gland also often causes severe discomfort, including very noticeable pain.

What to do if your chest hurts suddenly

First, try to determine the cause of the pain. If you are a nursing mother, check your feeding schedule to see if your baby is hungry. If severe pain is accompanied by fever and purulent discharge, it is highly likely that you have developed mastitis. It needs to be treated as soon as possible and only with the participation of a specialist.

If you suspect mastopathy, you should also immediately contact a mammologist: many experts in this field consider this disease to be “precancerous.” If your chest suddenly hurts, wait out the attack and carefully examine the entire mammary gland for lumps and discharge. In particular, you should palpate the subclavian region and the armpit.

If you understand that sharp pain in the chest is a harbinger of menstruation, it is permissible to take a painkiller, but only if you have absolutely no strength to endure. After that, still visit a gynecologist. Perhaps your breasts suddenly hurt as a result of taking oral contraceptives, and it makes sense to change them - after consultation with a specialist.

And you don’t need to immediately suspect that you have breast cancer. Breast cancer, although the most common cancer in women, rarely presents immediately with pain. Breast cancer most often makes itself felt as a painless tumor.

Many women are familiar with extremely unpleasant sensations and pain in the chest before menstruation. During this period, the breasts swell significantly, it is impossible to sleep on the stomach, the bra seems uncomfortable and tight. And many women instantly have all sorts of bad thoughts creeping into their heads: “My chest hurts - what if it’s...?”

However, often the cause of such chest pain is a common disease called mastopathy. Just don’t diagnose yourself and, of course, you don’t need to take any medications. Only a mammologist-oncologist can determine the true cause of chest pain and indicate appropriate treatment after an examination.

Why does my chest hurt?

The most common reason that causes chest pain is considered to be a banal hormonal change in the body during menstruation. There is absolutely nothing wrong with regular changes in women's hormonal levels. But, they can still lead to the development of mastopathy, that is, to benign changes that are associated with breast tissue. Nowadays, mastopathy has become a very common disease. According to statistics, it affects about sixty to eighty percent of women, and most of them are between the ages of twenty-five and forty-five. The main signs of this disease are lumps in the chest and, accordingly, pain.

The second most common cause of chest pain is mechanical damage to the mammary gland. Pain may occur due to a strong blow, due to strong squeezing of the chest or compression. This can be easily avoided by wearing a supportive, quality bra. It is recommended to pay special attention to this issue, because the breast is a fragile mechanism, and by purchasing comfortable “clothing” for it, you will get rid of many unpleasant cases.

Another significant cause of chest pain can be pregnancy and breastfeeding. Also, chest pain is possible due to insufficient sexual activity.

Possible causes (women)

In general, pain or excessive sensitivity of the breast can be caused by many reasons:

• changes in hormonal levels during menstruation;
• retention of excess fluid in the body, which happens during menstruation;
• mechanical damage to the chest;
• pregnancy;
• breast-feeding;
• various infections;
• dangerous disease breast cancer.

Diseases during which chest pain may occur:

• 1 Dysplasia (benign) of the mammary gland and mastopathy.
• 2 Various inflammatory diseases of the mammary gland, for example, lactation mastitis.
• 3 Hypertrophy disease.
• 4 Some formations in the chest.
• 5 Other diseases.

Most women, having discovered some kind of lump in their mammary glands, immediately decide that they definitely have cancer and go to the doctor. Of course, a medical examination is, of course, a correct and competent decision, but you should not panic right away. It is absolutely not necessary that compaction and pain indicate the presence of a malignant tumor.

What to do?

Lumps in the chest are painless, and their size can be as small as a pea or occupy the entire gland. To obtain an earlier diagnosis of tumor processes, women should learn to properly examine their mammary glands. It is necessary to conduct a self-examination at least once a month. It is better to do this in front of a mirror. You should pay attention to the size and any changes in the shape of the breast. The condition of the skin, changes in color, the presence of rashes, and the shape of the nipples are examined. Next, you need to feel the chest: you should start with the left gland, it is convenient to do this in a lying position. Palpation is carried out with your fingertips clockwise, and not only the breast itself, but also the armpit, as well as the clavicular region. If enlarged lymph nodes, nipple discharge, or lumps are detected, it is better to immediately go to the doctor. Early detection of the disease, at the first stage, allows the doctor to carry out more successful surgical treatment, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The probability of curing a dangerous cancer disease at this stage is much higher than at the third and fourth stages. Regular examinations will help get rid of the disease much faster.