Everything from your period to workouts to the medications you're on could be why your breasts hurt when you press them. There are two types of breast pain (mastalgia): cyclical and non-cyclical pain. Cyclical pain is associated with your period, while non-cyclical pain is due to non-hormonal reasons like surgery.
Breast pain is rarely a sign of breast cancer. Breast pain alone is uncommonly associated with cancer. Contact a healthcare provider if you have other symptoms, including a lump unrelated to your period, nipple discharge, or signs of infection like a fever, redness, or swelling.
Aching breasts are often nothing to worry about. Read on to learn about breast pain, including some of the most common causes.
Why Do I Have a Burning Sensation in My Breast?
Breastfeeding is natural but can also cause discomfort and pain. You may feel pain when your infant first latches onto your nipple or if their mouth isn't positioned correctly.
Many people who choose to nurse experience challenges. One of these challenges is pain, especially nipple pain. Your breasts might also hurt when you're nursing if you have blocked, swollen milk ducts.
You may also have pain if you develop mastitis, or an infection in the breast. Mastitis is one of the most common complications in breastfeeding people. Other common mastitis symptoms include a swollen and painful area of the breast along with a fever, chills, and aching.
Contact a healthcare provider if breast pain lasts more than a couple of days while you're breastfeeding. Many hospitals and healthcare groups also offer lactation services to help get your infant latched appropriately and evaluate the causes of breast and nipple pain.
2. Certain Medications
Medications that affect hormones may be one culprit of breast pain. One of the side effects of birth control is breast tenderness.
Other types of medications can cause breast pain as a side effect, including:
- A heart medication called digitalis
- Diuretics (water pills)
- Chlorpromazine, which is used to treat mental illness, among other indications
Talk to a healthcare provider if you think medication may be causing your breast pain. There could be a substitute treatment for you to try instead.
Breast cysts are most common in women aged 30 to 50. A cyst is a plugged or obstructed breast gland with fluid build-up. Cysts are generally harmless, but they can be painful.
Treatment depends on your age, how big the cysts are, and if they hurt. You may decide to do nothing, or a healthcare provider may drain the fluid to ease the pain.
4. Ill-Fitting Bra
An ill-fitting bra can cause pain even if you don't have large breasts. A too-big bra isn't going to support you very well. A too-small bra isn't much better since it might feel restrictive and uncomfortable.
Specific brands are more supportive than others. Pick a bra with more cushioning at the base of the breast if the underwire makes your breast pain worse. Getting fitted at a department or specialty store where you can buy a well-made bra can also help.
Inflammatory breast cancer is one of the few times breast cancer may involve pain. This rare and aggressive form of the disease accounts for about 1% to 5% of all breast cancers.
The cancer cells obstruct the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast, causing redness, swelling, and inflammation over about a third or more of the breast. The skin may also look pitted due to the build-up of lymph fluid. You might sometimes feel a lump, but usually not.
Inflammatory breast cancer is usually treated with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. Targeted therapies are sometimes used. Keep in mind that many of these symptoms could also be from an infection or injury. Try not to panic, but get checked out by a healthcare provider.
Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines
As of 2024, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends you get screened for breast cancer every other year between the ages of 40 and 74. Some women may need screening more frequently, especially those at a higher risk of breast cancer or who have dense breast tissue.
6. Large Breasts
Large breasts can cause enough strain that they stretch breast ligaments and tissues. This can cause pain in your breasts and possibly in your back, neck, and shoulders.
Finding the right, supportive bra may alleviate this type of pain. You can also try over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers. A healthcare provider may prescribe medication for severe pain. Some people opt for breast reduction surgery in extreme cases.
People approaching menopause might experience a painful widening and thickening of the milk duct called duct ectasia. It's most common in premenopausal people, but duct ectasia can happen at other ages.
Other symptoms can include a sticky and thick discharge from the nipple, a nipple that's turned inward, or a lump. Some people have no symptoms at all.
It's important to talk to your healthcare provider to rule out other, more severe causes. The condition usually takes care of itself over time and doesn't change your breast cancer risk. A healthcare provider may recommend removing the duct with surgery if the pain doesn't go away.
8. Muscle Strain
A strain to your chest muscles after a challenging workout might feel like breast pain even though the injury is elsewhere. Muscle problems are just one type of "extramammary" pain. This pain originates outside the breast tissue but is felt in the breast. Other causes of extramammary pain include stomach and gallbladder disease.
OTC pain relievers may be enough to ease muscular pain. A healthcare provider may recommend something stronger if the pain is severe.
Don't overlook any chest pain, including in your breasts, that could signify a heart attack. Heart attack symptoms may include:
- Chest pain
- Feeling lightheaded or weak
- Pain in your arms or shoulders
- Pain in your neck, jaw, or back
- Shortness of breath
Other symptoms, more likely in women, include tiredness, nausea, and vomiting. Call 911 right away if you think you're having a heart attack.
Hormonal breast pain can happen to anyone who menstruates. Cyclical breast pain, or period-related breast soreness, is the most common reason for breast pain. This pain may be barely noticeable or so severe that bras and tighter clothing become bothersome.
You may seek relief through OTC or prescription pain medications. There's a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for endometriosis called danazol, which can be used off-label for breast pain, but it can have serious side effects.
Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are often the first line of medical treatment. There's a better benefit-to-risk ratio than other medications available to treat cyclical breast pain.
10. Pregnancy
The first trimester of pregnancy brings a swirl of hormones that can cause breast pain, among other symptoms. Breast tissue grows, milk ducts fill, and nipples become sensitive.
Breast pain may vary and change throughout pregnancy. There may be less or no breast pain, for example, during the second trimester. Breast pain may return in the third trimester.
Shingles is a manifestation of the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who had chickenpox when they were younger can develop shingles.
Your breasts may hurt if the rash caused by shingles develops on the breast. This rash can be painful, with itchy blisters that burst. You might also have a fever, headache, and sensitivity to light.
Shingles usually last two to four weeks, and there's no cure. Antiviral medications can help you get better faster. A healthcare provider may also prescribe painkillers to help with the pain.
12. Surgery
Any trauma to the breast can cause pain, including surgery, a biopsy, an elbow to the chest, or a seatbelt injury. These are all forms of non-cyclical pain.
An injury can cause fat necrosis, which appears as a thickening or lumpiness in the breast. Research has shown that fat necrosis of the breast can be caused either by previous trauma or an unknown cause. Fat necrosis of the breast can also cause pain.
Fat necrosis isn't dangerous and doesn't need to be treated. It can appear similar to breast cancer. Reach out to a healthcare provider for further advice if you notice a lump or changes to your breasts.
What To Know About Sagging Breasts (Breast Ptosis)
There are several reasons why your breasts may hurt when you press them. Hormonal changes, including your periods, pregnancy, and breastfeeding, are among the most common causes. Other causes range from workouts and medications to your bra and the size of your breasts.
Breast pain rarely is a sign of cancer. Contact a healthcare provider if you're concerned or have symptoms like a lump unrelated to your period or nipple discharge.
