Breast Tenderness Before Period

Breast tenderness can be described as the pain or uncomfortable sensation felt on being touched. If it occurs before periods, it may be accompanied with soreness and swelling. Breast tenderness before period is considered to be normal for a certain period and extent. It generally goes away when the menstruation ends. If you happen to experience tenderness in your breasts quite often before the start of periods, you need to have some knowledge about its causes.

What Causes Breast Tenderness Before Period
The main reason behind tender breasts before period is the hormonal imbalance. The hormones involved are reproductive hormones, estrogen and progesterone. During the menstrual cycle, the levels of these two hormones keep fluctuating. Sore breasts and nipples are among the most common symptoms of pre-menstrual syndrome. They mainly occur due to excessive water retention after ovulation. Accumulation of water in the breast tissues results in stretching of the skin. This, in turn, puts the other unstretched tissues under tension.

Secondly, the levels of estrogen may rise abnormally during peri-menopause in some women. The condition is known as estrogen dominance. The breasts become so tender and sore that one cannot stand even a slight touch. If you are a middle aged woman, onset of peri-menopause can be one of the possible causes for breast tenderness in your case. Having beverages like coffee and colas can aggravate tenderness in breast. This is because they contain methylxanthine, which prompts dilation of the blood vessels and leads to breast tissue distention.

How to Cope with Breast Tenderness Before Period
Breast soreness before period can be caused by one of the given reasons. However, every possibility is there that it is a symptom of a serious medical condition like breast cancer. Therefore, you should never rely on your own assessment. Visit a medical practitioner as early as possible and get yourself well examined for it. Timely diagnosis of the underlying causes and effective treatment of the same will relieve breast tenderness. The medical treatment will take its own time to cure the underlying disease. In case, the doctor says you are suffering from normal pre-menstrual syndrome, you can take several measures to ease your condition.

Do not lead a sedentary life. Try to be physically active. At the minimum, go for a walk for about a 30 minutes daily. Use good quality support bras, particularly on the days of breast tenderness. They give full support to your breasts. An alternative is to pad your bra with lamb's wool from inside. You may take a non-prescription pain killer to relieve breasts tenderness to a great extent. Apply either cold or hot compress, whichever is suitable, on the tender breasts. This will provide you with some ease and comfort. Follow a diet which is low in fat and a little high in fiber. This will prevent estrogen from overstimulating the tissues of breasts. This will also help the body restore the normal levels of estrogen. Restoration of normal estrogen levels will naturally cure tender breasts before menstruation.

By going through the above account, you came to know about possible causes and home remedies of breast tenderness before period. Following the home treatment measures is expected to ease your state. However, if the tenderness of breasts is unbearable and doesn't seem to go away, pay a visit to a doctor for necessary medical intervention.