Do I Need To Go For A Mammogram If My Breasts Hurt?
Every woman has experienced breast pain at some point in their lives or the other - be it in early puberty or post-menopause or anytime in between. But due to alarming statistics concerning breast cancer becoming common knowledge, women undergo a lot of anxiety wondering if their breast pain could be a symptom of breast cancer. A most common question they come up with is, when should I start worrying about my breast pain?
Before we start searching for labs to do a mammogram test in Chennai, let us first see what breast pain is all about.
Experts From One Of Chennai’s Best Diagnostic Labs For Cancer Explain Breast Pain In Detail!
Achiness, swelling, tenderness, heaviness, tightness are some of the words that women use to describe breast pain. Sometimes they talk about shooting and burning sensations in one or both of their breasts.
Now, there are two broad types of breast pain or mastalgia, as it is known medically. They are Cyclical and Non-Cyclical.
Cyclical Breast Pain
As the name indicates, cyclical breast pain has everything to do with the menstrual cycle. This kind of pain typically start a week or less before a period and in most cases disappears as soon as the period begins. It would help to keep track of the incidence and severity of the breast pain episodes to confirm if they indeed coincide with the menstruation cycle. Cyclical breast pain is the result of hormonal changes happening to the body close to a period.
Over-the-counter painkillers are often used to help relieve cyclical pain. Alternatively, applying hot and cold packs, and reducing caffeine intake can also help with managing it.
Non-Cyclical Breast Pain
Breast pain that is unrelated to the occurrence of a period is said to be non-cyclical. The common causes of this type of breast pain include injury or surgery, oral contraceptives, infertility treatments, benign cysts, bras with inadequate support or even stress and anxiety at times. Sometimes, breast pain occurs in women with large breasts, often accompanied by neck, shoulder, or back pain. It is a little difficult to accurately diagnose the reason for non-cyclical breast pain in a person. In many cases, non-cyclic breast pain resolves by itself over time.
Also Read: Do I Need To Test For Cervical Cancer?
Now comes the million dollar question - Does Breast Pain Indicate Breast Cancer?
Here Is The Answer From The Best Diagnostic Lab In The City!
No, not really. The breast can experience benign conditions causing breast pain but may have nothing to do with breast cancer. Conversely, though breast pain can occur because of breast cancer, it very often does not! In most cases of metastatic breast cancer, the pain occurs in the underlying tissue rather than the breast itself.
But still, any unexplained breast pain that persists beyond one or two menstrual cycles or after menopause needs to be checked out by a doctor. Or if the possibility of breast cancer even when it is regular breast pain is causing sleepless nights, get some peace of mind by doing a breast cancer screening!
