Understanding And Treating Painful Breasts Before Your Period

The first thing that you should know about having painful breasts before your period is that you have nothing to be embarrassed about.  Many women have that same problem.  So, you are definitely not alone.

PMS Sore Breasts-Hormonal Problems:

There are several reasons for premenstrual breast pain.  The biggest factor, however, is that your hormones are probably out of whack.  That happens a lot around the time of ovulation, which is shortly before the actual menstruation process begins. 

Around the time of ovulation, which is bout 10 to 14 days before menstruation, progesterone and estrogen hormone levels will start to raise and fluctuate within your body.  That can cause your body to retain fluids, which leads to some minor weight gain and bloating. Unfortunately, the fluid retention can also lead to tender breasts.  Some women don't have the problem at all, but most experience some breast sensitivity.  Some even experience severe breast pain.  It's not unusual, but it definitely is quite uncomfortable and it's something that you shouldn't have to deal with.

Food Problems:

One way to hopefully control your breast pain during your monthly cycle is to control what you eat.  You see, food problems can also create monthly breast pain.  For example, methylxanthine is a chemical found in caffeine.  It can dilate the blood vessels in your breasts, allowing them to retain more fluid and become more tender.  So, you should definitely limit your caffeine intake.

Salt is another issue.  Salty foods trigger your body to want to retain more water.  When your hormones are already telling you to retain too much water, that's definitely a bad thing.  So, you should definitely learn how to curb your cravings for salty snacks before your period.  In fact, it would be a good idea to avoid all unhealthy snacks before and during your period.

Stress Problems:

Another reason for pre-period breast pain, or any breast pain at any time, can be stress problems.  Stress releases certain hormones within your body, which can cause an even worse hormonal imbalance than you usually have during your monthly cycle.  So, if you have recently lost a job, moved to a new town or had any other major stress in your life, that could be the answer.

Reducing stress isn't always easy, but you do have options.  On thing that you can try is exercising more often.  It's a proven fact that exercising can improve your mood.  It can also help to relieve premenstrual and menstrual symptoms, reduce weight and improve general health.  So, it's a good thing any way you look at it.

Rule Certain Things Out:

If you really feel like your breast pain is unusual or too severe, you should begin by ruling certain things out.  Talk to your doctor about getting tested for cancer or other issues.  You can also ask for a blood test to rule out things like premature ovarian failure, gland problems or even the onset of menopause.  If your breast pain is only on one side, you should also definitely seek medical help.

If your doctor rules out any major problems, you probably have standard cycle-related breast pain.  However, just because it is “normal” does not mean that it is acceptable.  If you're having anything from a dull ache to severe pain, you should look for treatment options.

Painful Breasts Before Period Treatment Options:

Luckily, there are a lot of treatment options for breast pain before a period begins.  As mentioned earlier, you can reduce stress levels, change your diet a bit and exercise more.  It's also important to get enough sleep at night.  A good night's sleep can help to reduce food cravings, repair your body and balance your hormones a bit.

Beyond all that, painful breasts before your period could be treatable through the use of medications.  However, many man-made medications are full of harsh chemicals.  Those chemicals are bad for your body and can cause your hormones to go even more haywire.  Also, many prescribed medications for breast swelling, PMS or menstrual symptoms can have moderate to severe side effects.  So, you should probably avoid them.

A much better idea is that you can try to make use of some great natural remedies, such as herbs and minerals.  Many minerals, vitamins and herbs can improve your health and reduce ovulation, PMS and menstrual symptoms.

Evening Primrose:

Evening primrose is one of the best natural herbs to relieve breast tenderness and swelling.  It can also relieve depression, cramping and general aches and pains.  It can even reduce skin breakouts and acne that are associated with hormonal fluctuations.

In fact, Native American women have been taking advantage of the healing effects of the evening primrose plant for many years.  Although, they used to eat evening primrose seeds.  These days, evening primrose is most commonly found in oil or supplement pill forms.

The thing that makes evening primrose so beneficial and sought after is that it contains GLA.  GLA stands for gamma-linolenic acid, which is a form of an essential fatty acid called omega-6 fatty acid.  Enough omega-6 in your diet can help to keep your health on track and keep your breast swelling and other symptoms of PMS or ovulation under control.

Chasteberry:

Chasteberry is another great herb for relief from your hormone fluctuations.  In fact, chasteberry is known for regulating hormone flow and controlling the pituitary gland.  That means that an increase in chasteberry can reduce painful breasts before your period and a lot of other symptoms.  Maybe that's why even Hippocrates prescribed it in ancient times.

Magnesium:

Of course, herbs aren't the only things that can help to balance your hormones and reduce your PMS symptoms.  Minerals and vitamins also can work wonders for restoring balance to your body.  One of the best is magnesium, which can help evening primrose to work better.  Magnesium is also known for relieving muscle cramps.

As you can see, you need to use a variety of natural substances to fight your symptoms.  So, you should try taking a multi-substance supplement.  For example, Period Vitamin is a natural supplement that contains 7 vitamins, 6 minerals and 8 herbs that are all designed to balance a woman's body.  So, you may want to consider using it to fight painful breasts before your period and other period pains.