The connection between menopause and breast pain is that breast pain is often a symptom of menopause. Breast pain is usually caused by hormonal imbalance during menopause, pregnancy, and menstruation. Sometimes breast pain can accompany menopause unrelated to hormones, such as non-cyclical breast pain and extra-mammary pain.
Menopause and breast pain are related due to the hormonal imbalance that occurs during menopause. A woman's breasts can ache at any time when there is a hormonal imbalance. Other common examples of breast pain due to hormonal imbalance are during menstruation and pregnancy. Sore breasts are premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal symptoms, although they are more common during premenopause and perimenopause.
The hormones that affect menopause and breast pain are the same hormones that cause similar symptoms during menstruation and pregnancy. These hormones are estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Hormones fluctuate during these periods, and the reproductive organs are affected, causing breast pain and abdominal cramps.
All women are affected by these hormones differently. A woman's hormone levels, genetics, and physiology are unique, so symptoms are unique to each woman. Menopause and breast pain may not affect some women, while it can cause serious discomfort in others.
Breast pain is defined as general discomfort, pain, or tenderness in one or both breasts. The medical terms for breast pain are mastalgia, mammalian, and mastodynia. Up to 70 percent of women experience breast pain during their lifetime. Fortunately, most symptoms are mild. Only about 10 percent of women experience severe menopausal symptoms and breast pain.
When present, menopause and breast pain can show up in many different ways. The pain can be constant during menopause or intermittent. The pain can appear in one or both breasts, and it can be general pain in the breast or localized pain in one area of the breast. Breast pain may be accompanied by breast swelling, sharpness, burning, or a dull or aching sensation in the breasts, as well as aches, tightness, and fullness.
The most common type of breast pain during menopause is cyclical breast pain. This describes dull, sore, or heavy breasts, as well as swelling and lumps. Cyclic breast pain usually affects both breasts. This type generally affects perimenopausal and premenstrual women.
A less common type of breast pain is noncyclical, which is not caused by hormonal changes. It is more common in postmenopausal women and is experienced as pain, burning, or tightness, usually only affecting one breast. Extramammary pain can occur during menopause but is not related to menopause. The pain is outside the breast and is usually due to a pulled muscle.
A common misunderstanding about the connection between menopause and breast pain is the fear that breast pain indicates breast cancer. Breast pain can be alarming for many women and their families. The vast majority of breast pain complaints during menopause are not due to cancer. It is usually a sign that hormonal changes are taking place in the body. If breast pain is accompanied by a new breast lump, a doctor should be seen as soon as possible, as a lump is a possible sign of breast cancer.