Breast Pain
Educational Guide for Patients
Breast pain is common. Most women, at some point in their lives, experience either breast pain or breast tenderness. It is unclear why this may occur; however, breast pain is almost never a sign of breast cancer.
Initial evaluation of breast pain includes your breast self-exam, a clinical breast exam by a medical provider and a mammogram for women over the age of 40 If these screening methods do not reveal any abnormalities, then your breast pain is most likely due to hormone changes.
As breast pain is not dangerous to your health, the treatment is at your discretion. If breast pain is not affecting your lifestyle and it is something that you can tolerate, then we would not recommend any action.
If breast pain is not tolerable, the following can be helpful:
• Stop All Caffeine: Many women find that abstaining from caffeine (including coffee, tea, caffeinated cola drinks, and chocolate) can eliminate or decrease breast pain or tenderness. Decaffeinated beverages should not affect breast pain or tenderness.
• Ibuprofen (Advil): If eliminating caffeine from your diet does not relieve your symptoms within a few weeks, ibuprofen can be used to decrease pain. If you are very uncomfortable, two 200 mg Advil tablets (400 mg total) can be taken three times a day with food to relieve breast pain or tenderness.
• Evening Primrose Oil: Available at drugstores and health food stores. We recommend taking one 500 mg tablet three times a day. Begin by taking one 500 mg tablet for two days, then increase to two 500 mg tablets for two days and then increase to three 500 mg tablets. It may take up to three months for this to take effect on decreasing your breast pain or tenderness.
• Vitamin E: Available at drugstores and health food stores. We recommend taking 400-800 IU each day. It may take up to three months for this to take effect on decreasing your breast pain or tenderness.
• Vitamin B6: Available at drugstores and health food stores. We recommend taking 50 IU each day. It may take up to three months for this to take effect on decreasing your breast pain or tenderness.
If your breast pain is becoming intolerable and you are on hormone therapy replacement therapy, then stopping it may relieve your pain. However, hormone replacement therapy has some benefit, and we hesitate to have you stop taking it unless you are in severe discomfort. If you are planning to stop hormone replacement therapy, please talk to your doctor about your decision and also about alternative to hormone replacement therapy.
If you notice a lump in your breast or nipple discharge, do not hesitate to call and schedule a visit.