Any woman can suffer from breast tenderness, soreness and pain. There can be several reasons behind such pain. You can have it before or after your periods. You can have it while you are pregnant, and you can have it while just starting to breastfeed your child. You can have pain in both breasts or in one breast only. There can also be pain just below the breasts. All these are mostly normal, albeit if there is no abnormal development.
Treatment for breast pain depends to a great extent on the cause of pain. If it is due to hormonal changes such as around menstrual periods, puberty, menopause etc then you will need treatment that is just analgesic in nature. There is no abnormality in such pain. Some women are genetically predisposed to such pains. On the other hand if you have any trauma, infection, surgery or others that has brought on a sudden change in the breasts then you need treatment to rectify that problem.
Your gynecologist is the first person whom you should visit. However, if your breast pain is due to some not so serious factors then you can go for home remedies along with medicines and other procedures recommended by the gynecologist. For benign ones you can go for home remedies alone. There are a lot of home remedies for breast pain. Let us look at some of the home remedies for breast pain given below.
Home Remedies For Breast Pain
Ice
If the breast pain is cyclic in nature then it is most probably due to hormonal changes. This is a normal kind of pain, and you can alleviate the pain with some ice pack as and the when the pain gains in intensity.
Ice has the ability to constrict the blood vessels. This leads to reduced flow of blood which in turn reduces the speed at which pain sensation is carried to the brain. This will automatically reduce the pain. For this take a few ice cubes in a towel and press over the affected breast for 15 to 20 minutes. You are bound to get some relief.
Warm Shower or Hot Pack
A warm shower or a hot compress is sometimes very good for breast pain. It is most helpful if you are having breastfeeding pain. This generally happens due to clogged milk ducts. You can help these open up with some warmth. This can be done with a warm compress or a hot shower. Whichever way you choose to take in the warmth you have to do it for at least 15 minutes.
This will slowly open up the pores and help the milk flow. If you are taking a warm bath you can use some Epsom salt into the bath. This will help alleviate the pain easily. Even you can use it in the compress. The warmth and salt will also reduce the swelling and tenderness, if any.
Lavender oil
Stress can be one of the factors contributing to your breast pain. In that case the smell of lavender oil can be quite beneficial for you. The essential oils in lavender have been found to have an excellent quality.
They can relieve much of the mental stress when you breathe in the oil. It has a calming effect on the nerve. So if you are living under stress and that seems to be one of the reasons behind the pain then lavender oil can be the answer. Inhale some original lavender oil to cure your breast pain.
Massage
Massaging the breasts can greatly help to relieve the breast pain. Massage the breast from around the nipple upto as far as the armpits. This will improve blood circulation as well as the drainage in the lymph ducts. Good circulation in the lymphatic system will help bring white blood cells to the spot faster. This will help to fight the infection better.
Soybean
High levels of estrogen may be responsible for breast pain. This is especially true for cyclic breast pain. If you can counter the level of estrogen your breast pain can be alleviated to a great extent.
In this perspective you can add more soybean to your food. Soybean contains phytoestrogens which can block excess secretion of estrogen. This can alleviate the symptoms of breast pain.
Support Bra
When your breasts are tender, swollen and painful it is better to wear a support bra. Make sure the bra does not add to the friction. Such bras will reduce the bumping of the breasts at night and help in faster healing of the pain.
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.