About 70% of women are well aware that if their breasts are swollen, then it is time to stock up on feminine hygiene products and prepare for mood swings. This sign of an approaching menstruation rarely fails, and along with a sharply changing mood, discomfort in the lower abdomen and other signs, it is included in the picture of the description of the classic premenstrual syndrome. In some representatives of the fair sex, the chest begins to hurt and completely immediately after the onset of ovulation, while in others it begins to ache and swell on the day of menstruation. Why does breast swell before menstruation ?
This process occurs as a result of changes in the hormonal background during the cycle. It just so happened that the hormones estrogen and progesterone control the female body in this regard. During the menstrual cycle, the production of estrogen increases, the concentration of which reaches a maximum by the middle of the cycle. This hormone causes the chest canals to expand. At the same time, the production of progesterone begins, which reaches a peak by the onset of menstruation. And progesterone causes the lobes of the mammary glands to expand. As a result, the breast tissue expands, causes tension in the nerve endings - and now, the breasts are swollen and sore.
In addition, doctors believe that breasts are more painful and swell in those women who have wider mammary glands. Sometimes in such cases, women are prescribed oral contraceptives in order to normalize the hormonal background and reduce swelling. But there are times when taking OK, on the contrary, only exacerbates the pain, so you should be careful with their use. Another way to reduce pain if your breasts are swollen is to stop caffeinated drinks (tea, coffee, cola) and limit salt intake as two main factors that cause swelling of the body’s tissues.
A good help for such women will be wearing a special supportive bra, ice packs and primrose infusion, which helps reduce pain.
But it should also be remembered that if the chest hurts and swells, and menstruation is still far away, or earlier such symptoms were rare for you, then this can be an alarming sign. Do not forget that swollen breasts can be the result of a pregnancy - in some women, the body begins hormonal reconstruction with an increase in the proportion of mammary glands, because in the future you will have to feed the baby. So it will be useful to do a pregnancy test if you showed this symptom not against the background of menstruation.
Little conclusion
Unfortunately, other causes of breast swelling are not so rosy. This symptom can occur when benign tumors, cysts occur, or if inflammation occurs due to a blocked duct of the breast. Therefore, if you ruled out pregnancy and the onset of menstruation, and your breasts are swollen and still sore, do not hesitate, contact a mammologist, he will help you cope with the problem.