Breast Pain
Welcome to our Health Decision Guide for women who experience breast pain or discomfort.
By answering a short series of questions, you will learn about reasons for breast pain most relevant to you.
While a single lump is a little more concerning, most lumps discovered no matter what your age are still more likely to be benign than malignant.
There are times that you can expect increased sensitivity, soreness, or tenderness in one or both breasts. Many women experience this just before or during menstrual periods. These symptoms can also occur with a normal pregnancy and breast-feeding.
Breast discomfort and sensitivity are often part of the pre-menstrual syndrome. Sometimes these pre-menstrual symptoms can be more bothersome around the time of menopause.
Painful breasts are most worrisome when accompanied by a breast lump or nipple discharge. The presence of a breast lump or nipple discharge is always a reason to contact your doctor, even if you don't have any pain.
To get the most from this guide, we recommend that you do a self-breast exam first. It will make it easier to answer some of the questions.
