Any woman at least once in her life felt pain in the area of the mammary glands before the onset of menstruation. What is the reason for such discomfort? In the absence of other pathological causes, chest pain is a signal that a woman is ovulating.
What is ovulation
This is the process of maturation of the egg that comes out of the ovarian follicle and is ready for fertilization. In a he althy woman, ovulation occurs on the 15-20th day of the menstrual cycle. During this period, the female body is ready to conceive a child. If the egg is not fertilized, it dies and leaves the body with menstruation. Ovulation lasts more than one day. This process takes about a week in the middle of the cycle.
Ovulation is absent in pregnant women and women who have experienced menopause.
Can breasts hurt during ovulation? Along with a strong sexual desire, a change in the quality of vaginal discharge, pain inabdomen, fever in the pelvic area and a change in mood in women during this period, there are pains in the soft tissues of the mammary glands.
Causes of discomfort
Most women experience breast pain during ovulation. The glandular tissue fills with fluid, increasing in size, the chest becomes sensitive to the slightest touch. These signs are felt in the middle of the cycle. The question of whether the chest can hurt during ovulation, a woman asks when the pain becomes stronger than usual.
With each menstrual cycle, the female body proportionally produces the hormones estrogen and progesterone. When estrogen levels rise in the blood, chest pain increases. This means that fertilization did not take place, and the woman will begin her period soon.
The cause of chest pain may be the lack of ovulation, such pain is localized on the outside of both glands. There are also cases when chest pain is a sign of pathological formations in the mammary glands caused by an excess of the hormone estrogen. In such situations, the doctor should prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Can my breasts hurt before ovulation?
Before the start of ovulation, the breast should not hurt. This is exactly the period when the female body rests after menstruation and before the maturation of a new egg.
Can breasts hurt during ovulation?
The mammary gland is hormone dependentorgan of the female body. Due to the release of the hormone prolactin into the blood, which is necessary for lactation in the event of pregnancy, the breast begins to engorge and increase in size during ovulation. The enlarged glandular tissue presses on the nerve endings located nearby, which causes discomfort in the chest. Since one of the main signals of the onset of ovulation is pain in the area of the mammary glands, answering the question: “Does the chest hurt during ovulation?”, We can say that the chest hurts directly during the maturation and release of the egg from the follicle. But many women hardly notice such discomfort.
Do breasts hurt on ovulation day?
Those women who do not feel fullness in the mammary glands during the maturation of the egg may feel pain on the very day when the egg is ripe and left the follicle to meet the sperm.
What happens next?
Do breasts hurt after ovulation? Some women complain that they feel chest pain after ovulation. Such sensations may persist due to the presence of the hormone prolactin in the mammary gland, which has not yet been completely excreted by the body, or due to the onset of pregnancy, as a result of which the body begins to intensively produce progesterone and prolactin. Does the breast hurt immediately after ovulation or does it indicate the onset of pregnancy? The exact answer to this question can only be found out on the day of the menstrual delay using a pregnancy test.
Should my breasts hurt after ovulation?
If fertilization does not occur, all the hormones produced by the body to support a possible pregnancy are removed from it. The mammary glands gradually acquire their normal appearance, the pain subsides, and the woman begins menstruation. Another question: does the chest always hurt after ovulation during pregnancy? It all depends on the body itself and on the woman's pain threshold. She may simply not pay attention to the weak sensations in the chest area. In this case, she will know about the onset of pregnancy only with a delay.
Chest pain associated with other causes
We have already found out whether the chest can hurt during ovulation. However, the cause of pain in the mammary glands may not be related to the maturation of the egg. These factors include various types of mastopathy, fibrocystic diseases, oncological processes, thyroid disease, disorders associated with injury to one or both mammary glands.
In fibrocystic mastopathy, some areas of the glandular tissue are compacted, and in some of them small capsules with liquid are formed. During ovulation, he althy parts of the gland swell and squeeze the sick, thereby exerting double pressure and pinching of the nerve endings. This is where breast tenderness comes from.
When malignant tumors are formed, the glandular layer is mutated at the cellular level. There is an uncontrolled growth of pathological tissue. This leads to compression of the nerves in the gland anddeformation of one or two breasts. There is pain that is independent of the menstrual cycle and ovulation.
Women with diabetes usually have thyroid problems as well. Since the endocrine system is responsible for the production of hormones, and the mammary glands are directly related to the hormonal background, frequent hormonal surges and chest pains occur. In diabetes, the destruction of small vessels occurs, tissue areas cease to be saturated with oxygen. Because of this, tissue cells die, forming whole clusters in which an inflammatory process occurs. With ovulation, it intensifies, and the pain is felt more intense.
When the mammary glands are injured, connective tissue and adhesions appear on the affected area, which limit the free swelling of the gland during ovulation, thus causing pain.
Ways to reduce chest discomfort
These include:
- Breathing exercises, meditation, aroma and herbal medicine aimed at relaxing the whole body.
- Warm bath or shower, light breast massage.
- Reduce stress and strenuous exercise.
- Quit smoking and alcohol.
- He althy balanced diet, intake of vitamins A, B, E.
- Loose clothing, comfortable non-constricting bra, preferably a sports bra.
- Taking anti-inflammatory and pain medications for unbearable pain.
Ways to diagnose breast problems
If the pain becomes regular, severe or appears for the first time, a woman should see a doctor who can schedule an ultrasound examination of the mammary glands.
A woman regularly before menstruation should conduct an independent breast examination for the presence of seals. Women over 45 years of age are screened with a mammogram. For young people, it is enough to do an ultrasound of the mammary glands once a year.
Treatments
If chest pain during ovulation is caused by an imbalance of hormones in the female body, you need to contact a gynecologist who will prescribe the necessary therapy. Treatment can be conservative, for example, with the use of hormonal drugs. Sometimes in severe cases, when there is too much compaction in the chest, which disrupts blood flow and brings severe pain, surgery is required. But if the cause of the pain is a violation of metabolic processes in the tissues, the doctor may recommend preparations based on useful herbs and ointments for local action on the cause of pain.
Phytotherapy and dietary supplements
The following drugs are often prescribed:
- "Mastodinon". It includes the sacred vitex plant (common prutnyak), which helps to normalize the production of hormones in the correct ratio. Reception must continue for at least three months.
- "Cyclodynon".
- "Agnucaston".
- "Nolfit".
- Calcium. It is found in dairy productsstrengthens the nervous system and is best used to fight the causes of chest pain during ovulation.
Synthetic drugs
Along with herbal remedies, a gynecologist may recommend the use of drugs for local effects on the problem:
- Gels and ointments ("Diclofenac", "Piroxicam") have a local anesthetic effect.
- Cream or suppositories "Progesterone" affect the very cause: an excess of progesterone in the tissues.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ointments reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
- "Tamoxifen" is designed to treat cancerous tumors in the mammary glands, but along the way reduces pain.
- "Danazol" is effective for mastalgia and pain not associated with ovulation. There are side effects that are mentioned in the instructions.
- "Bromocriptine", "Lizurid" ("Dopergin") - are dopamine agonists, inhibit the production of the hormone prolactin. They have many side effects, but they cope well with pain in the mammary glands. A course of treatment is required for at least 2-3 months.
All gels and ointments should be applied once or twice a day, it is advisable not to get into direct sunlight immediately after application, as the body's reaction to the drug varies depending on ultraviolet radiation.
Summarize
Can breasts hurt during ovulation? Yes, breast pain during ovulation is something that many women feel. ForIn order for the hormonal background to always be normal, doctors advise taking contraceptives. They help regulate hormones, and as a rule, there are no severe pains when they are taken for a long time. Doctors also advise all women from age 20 to 45 to have their breasts checked at least once a year with an ultrasound. And also regularly in the shower to conduct a self-examination of the mammary glands for the presence of seals, redness and an increase in the temperature of any one area on the skin of the chest. The pain should not last more than a few days before menstruation, unless pregnancy has occurred. After the birth of a child and during the lactation period, it is necessary to monitor your breasts more often. After ovulation no longer occurs due to menopause, a woman should undergo a mammogram once a year. Doctors recommend resting more for pain in the chest and trying not to get nervous over trifles, to protect the glands from blows and injuries.
If, nevertheless, the pain is constant and unbearable, it is necessary to undergo an examination and consult a doctor, he will definitely offer a suitable treatment.