Hormones are making your breasts sore. This is due to a rise in estrogen and progesterone right before your period. These hormones cause your breasts to swell and can lead to tenderness. “It's normal to have breast tenderness that comes and goes around the time of your period,” says Wright.
The rise in levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone causes premenstrual breast changes in a woman. Symptoms subside and breasts return to normal with menstruation, when the hormone levels drop. During the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle, the ovaries produce increasing levels of estrogen.
This is known as cyclical breast pain. In the days leading up to your period, your estrogen and progesterone levels can fluctuate dramatically. Estrogen and progesterone increase the size and number of ducts and glands in the breast. They also cause your breasts to retain water, making them heavy and tender.
Sore and heavy breasts have a variety of possible causes. Hormones, pregnancy, and breastfeeding can all cause a person's breasts to feel heavy and sore. In many cases, lifestyle changes can ease breast pain. If the pain returns or causes anxiety, a person should see a doctor.
Breast changes
In the early stages of pregnancy, your breasts may feel more tingly, full and sore and your bra may not fit quite like it used to. Because this is linked to hormone changes in your body, it could also mean you are about to start your period.
Your breasts may be extra tender as early as one or two weeks after conception. "You're making so much estrogen and progesterone in early pregnancy that the glands in the breasts start growing," explains Jasbir Singh, M.D., an OB-GYN at Baylor Medical Center at Waxahachie in Texas.
During your first trimester (weeks 1 to 12), your breasts may start to feel swollen and tender. They may tingle. Your nipples may stick out more than usual. Some women find that their breasts start to get bigger during this time.
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one common cause of breast swelling. Before the start of each period, your estrogen production increases. Along with other changes in your body, this hormonal shift can cause your breast ducts and milk glands to become enlarged.
Tenderness and discomfort
Breast tenderness is often one of the earliest symptoms of pregnancy. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , breasts may become sore, heavy, or tingly as early as 1–2 weeks after conception. The nipples may also feel sensitive or even painful to touch.
While the entire breast may be sore, the nipples may hurt the most—or at least be the most sensitive. Breast soreness during this time may be greater than what you may usually experience just before your period. These symptoms may go away as your body acclimates to your pregnancy.
In early pregnancy, the breasts may feel particularly tender to the touch, and they often get heavier. The area around the nipple may sting or feel sore. Some women also develop more noticeable blue veins near the surface of the breasts.
It can take around three to four weeks from the first day of your last period for there to be enough hCG in your body to show up on a test.
Hormone shifts
This sensitivity is known as cyclic mastalgia or fibrocystic changes. Around 50 percent of all women over the age of 30 experience this. Right before your period starts, your breasts may feel especially tender if you press on them, or they may ache.
It's possible to check the position and firmness of your cervix at home. You can do this by inserting a finger into your vagina to feel for the cervix. Your middle finger may be the most effective finger to use because it's the longest, but use whichever finger is easiest for you.
Stress and anxiety can also be linked to breast pain. Non-cyclical breast pain may be continuous or it may come and go. It can affect women before and after the menopause. The pain can be in one or both breasts and can affect the whole breast or a specific area.
For many people, breast pain resolves on its own over time. You may not need any treatment. If you do need help managing your pain or if you need treatment, your doctor might recommend that you: Eliminate an underlying cause or aggravating factor.
Many people experience what seem to be pregnancy symptoms shortly before their period arrives. This happens because the hormone progesterone rises both during early pregnancy and in the premenstrual period. 1 In short, PMS symptoms and early pregnancy symptoms can sometimes be exactly the same.
There's only one way to find out for sure if you're pregnant: take a pregnancy test. But it's normal to wonder if you need a test or not.
Breast pain is as individual as any other pregnancy change, which means some women won't be bothered much by it, while others will be in greater discomfort. For many moms-to-be, breast pain is like a dull ache, soreness, heaviness, fullness or tenderness, though some report sharp, shooting pain too.
High levels of stress or anxiety can cause irregular menstrual periods, which can sometimes be mistaken as a symptom of pregnancy. Nausea and vomiting, heightened sensitivity to smells, breast soreness, fatigue, frequent urination, constipation—these may be signs that you are “pregnant”.
Where is pregnancy acne located? There is no specific place for pregnancy acne to appear. Commonly, they surface up on your face, chin, neck, chest, and back. These may also occur at any other body part or in places you've never had pimples before.
Things like missing your period, sore or tender breasts, feeling more tired and nausea (morning sickness) are common symptoms of early pregnancy. Some people have symptoms of pregnancy before they miss their period. Take an at-home pregnancy test if you think you might be pregnant.
Although it is rare, pseudocyesis (“false pregnancy” or “phantom pregnancy”) is a serious emotional and psychological condition. Psychological factors trick the body into believing that it's pregnant.
Cyclic and noncyclic causes of breast pain include things like: traumatic injury. certain medications such as birth control or antidepressants. infections like mastitis or a breast abscess.