health
April 29, 2024

What can mean chest discomfort

"Everything's okay": We do not want to hear much more when the breasts are scanned once a year at the check-in appointment. But in the course of a woman's life, almost every now and then has problems with her bosom. Often help with simple home remedies - and the reassuring feeling of at least be able to classify the complaints.

The chest hurts before the rule

Extreme touch sensitivity before the rule is called mastodynia. The cause is an imbalance of the hormones estrogen and progesterone, a "relative progesterone deficiency". The hormone prolactin, which is released more often during stress, can make the breast very sensitive to pain.

On the other hand helps first a well-fitting bra. Also good: Cold envelopes (frozen peas are practically in the bag, wrapped in a guest towel), monk's pepper preparations from the pharmacy or a hormone gel (gestagen gel, by prescription) for rubbing. Avoid coffee, tea and chocolate in the second half of the cycle, because they contain what are known as methylxanthines - which can aggravate the symptoms.

Pain that is not related to the cycle is called mastalgia. The cause is not always really in the chest. The pain can also radiate from the cervical spine, occasionally emanating from the heart. Common cause is a mastopathy, ie a nodular, partly also cystic change of the breast. Even poorly fitting bras can cause pain.

The bosom is heavy and tense

Even women with a small breast know the problem: Before the rule accumulates in the tissue more water, the chest feels heavy and tense. Often, the homeopathic remedy Aristolochia D12 (in the days before the rule take once a day five beads or drops). Or gentle massages with a home-made oil (add three drops of juniper and geranium oil to a teaspoon of salad oil). Dehydrating effect is nettle tea.

The chest hurts and is reddened

What many do not know: Breast inflammation is also present in women who do not breastfeed. Often the propensity for such inflammation is due to increased prolactin formation (for example, as a side effect of drugs such as sedatives, antidepressants, estrogen-based contraceptive pill) or occurs as a result of hypothyroidism.

At the first signs (pain, swelling, redness) make the same cold compresses and take the homeopathic remedy Belladonna D6 (five drops or beads per hour). If the inflammation has not subsided after one day, you should go to the doctor.

The breast is so bumpy

In younger women, the breast often feels very gnarled. This is worrying in the rarest cases. Hardening of the glandular or connective tissue, possibly also small or large cysts, are in fact the rule rather than the exception in women between 30 and 50 (about 60 percent of women are affected). Before menopause, nodules are almost always benign. Of course, any knot that suddenly strikes you should be clarified anyway. But it makes sense to first wait for the next rule. Many nodes are then no longer palpable or much smaller. And that clearly speaks against cancer.

Liquid comes out of the nipple

About every second woman can squeeze fluid from the nipple, which is practically always harmless. Spontaneous sometimes "running" the chest during sex or sports, even stress can be guilty. Even with a mastopathy sometimes comes out liquid. So do not panic right now, especially in younger women, it is rarely cancer. Above all, it is suspicious if only one breast secretes secretions.

And if it is cancer?

A "striking finding" in early detection is still no cause for panic: In most cases, the node turns out to be harmless in further investigations. But even women who develop breast cancer, today have very good chances of recovery - if they go to a qualified center for the operation and treatment. A very recent study by the University Hospital Ulm showed: Among the women who were treated according to the latest scientific standards, 90 percent survived the first five years after diagnosis breast cancer. Among patients who deviated from the guidelines, there were only 55 percent.

Small knot ABC

adenoma

A benign node of glandular cells. If the nodule additionally contains connective tissue, the fibroadenoma is called (in women around 30 quite common).

adenose

Gnarled changes in the entire glandular tissue.

fibroma

A benign, rather firm but well-defined connective tissue node.

lipoma

A (usually rather soft) benign node in the fatty tissue.

breast disease

The breast is knobbly because connective and / or glandular tissues are hardened and thickened. If cysts (cavity-filled cavities) are present in the breast at the same time, this is called fibrocystic, fibrosocystic or cystic-fibrous mastopathy.