What is the lump on the left side of my breast?

Many women find a lump on the left side of their breast, which may be caused by breast hyperplasia, a common disease among women. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, breast hyperplasia is related to emotions, diet and lifestyle habits. Breast hyperplasia is mostly caused by liver qi stagnation. The lump in the breast is called a nodule, and the pain is obvious before and after menstruation. Next, let’s take a closer look at the lump on the left side of the breast. What is going on?

Fibrocystic breast disease is the most common benign disease in women. It is neither a tumor nor an inflammation. From the histological point of view, it is the hyperplasia and degeneration of breast tissue, which is closely related to endocrine dysfunction. This disease is more common in middle-aged women, but it also occurs in adolescents and postmenopausal women. Today, 50%-70% of working women in big cities have varying degrees of breast hyperplasia. Fibrocystic breast disease is often manifested by breast pain and breast nodules. The harm lies not in the disease itself, but in the psychological pressure, and the worry that one may have breast cancer or will develop cancer in the future. There are many types of breast hyperplasia, such as simple lobular hyperplasia (accounting for the majority of breast hyperplasia). As long as you pay attention to adjusting your mentality and relieving stress, it may gradually improve. If lobular hyperplasia of the breast is accompanied by ductal epithelial hyperplasia and presents severe atypia, it is a precancerous lesion (accounting for a very small proportion) and requires active treatment and regular examinations to prevent the disease before it occurs.

Clinical manifestations

There are different characteristics in different age groups. The main symptoms of unmarried women, married women without children, and women who have not yet breastfed are breast swelling and pain, which can affect both sides at the same time, but are usually more severe on one side. There is obvious breast pain before menstruation, which is relieved and gradually stops after menstruation. The pain reappears before the next menstruation. The whole breast has a diffuse nodular feeling and is accompanied by tenderness. The main symptoms for women after the age of 35 are breast lumps, with mild breast pain and tenderness that are not related to the menstrual cycle. When you touch the breast with your hands, you can feel nodules of varying sizes, oblate or irregular shapes, and flexible textures. The boundaries are unclear, and there is no adhesion to the skin and deep tissues. The nodules can be pushed. After the age of 45, it often manifests as single or multiple scattered cystic tumors with clear boundaries, often accompanied by dull pain, distending pain or burning sensation.