Is breast tenderness related to pregnancy?

A common problem faced by female friends is breast pain. There are many reasons for breast pain, which often occurs before menstruation. In addition, is breast tenderness related to pregnancy? In fact, there is no necessary connection between breast pain and pregnancy. Breast pain is not necessarily caused by pregnancy, but pregnant women may experience breast pain. Let’s take a closer look at the causes of breast tenderness.

Breast pain can be divided into physiological pain, psychological pain and pathological pain.

Physiological breast tenderness is common during adolescence, before menstruation, ovulation, pregnancy, and postpartum period: Adolescent tenderness usually occurs between the ages of 9 and 13. At this time, the girl's breasts begin to develop and there is slight swelling and pain. After menarche, it will disappear on its own as the breasts mature.

Pain and distension during pregnancy: In the early stages of pregnancy, due to the large amount of estrogen, progesterone and prolactin secreted by the placenta and villi, breast hyperplasia and breast enlargement occur, causing breast distension and pain. For some pregnant women, this pain may last throughout the entire pregnancy and does not require treatment.

Postpartum swelling and pain: Breast swelling, hardness and pain may often occur 3-7 days after delivery. This is mainly caused by breast lymph retention, venous congestion, interstitial edema and obstruction of mammary ducts.

After an artificial abortion: After an artificial abortion, women often feel breast pain. This is because the pregnancy is suddenly interrupted and the hormone levels in the body drop sharply, causing the newly developed mammary glands to suddenly stop growing, resulting in breast lumps and breast pain.

Pathological breast pain is common in the following diseases: breast hyperplasia, mastitis, breast cancer and other diseases. Usually, these diseases are accompanied by other clinical symptoms in addition to breast pain. For example, breast hyperplasia is often accompanied by breast lumps, menstrual disorders and other symptoms; mastitis, the breasts are often accompanied by typical manifestations such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain; breast cancer, which often occurs in women between 40 and 60 years old, is often accompanied by inflammation. Painful breast cancer often indicates that it is in the late stage, and is often accompanied by breast lumps, nipple discharge, nipple changes, skin changes, axillary lymph node enlargement, etc.

In addition, mental factors such as stress and tension can also cause breast pain.