What does it mean when nipples hurt. Why do my nipples hurt on my chest? Hormonal preparations. Disorders in the endocrine organs

Most often, pain and tenderness in the chest occurs due to cyclical changes in a woman's body. However, sometimes it can be a sign of some kind of disease. For example, if the nipple of only one breast hurts, this is warning sign. Why nipples can hurt, and what should be done in such a situation, will be discussed further.

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What causes sore nipples

If the nipples hurt, the reasons may be different. Usually this phenomenon occurs against the background of:

pregnancy;
lactation;
reception medicines(contraceptives, hormonal drugs);
various diseases (cyst,).

In this case, pain can be felt both in the entire gland, and locally, only in the nipples. AT rare cases pain radiates to the back, shoulder, its intensity varies from slight to very strong.

If the nipples are red and sore, the cause may be wearing poor-quality and uncomfortable underwear, tight clothing.

The most common causes of nipple pain

It is not always possible for a woman to understand on her own what causes nipples to hurt - on help will come experienced doctor.

Natural cyclical process: no reason to worry

Occurring on the eve of menstruation, is called mastodynia. Before menstruation, the level of progesterone in the blood increases significantly. Upon contact with certain substances, it provokes fluid retention in the body (and in the mammary gland as well). Increased blood flow provokes breast enlargement, which affects nerve endings. This is what leads to sensitivity or even soreness of the entire bust and nipples in particular. And sometimes only the tips of the nipples hurt.

Many women note that the nipples ache directly at the moment of touching them. At rest pain are rarely observed. This stage lasts from several days to a week, with the advent of menstruation, the pain disappears against the background of a decrease in progesterone in the blood.

We advise you to read an article about, which is provoked by changes in the body of a woman, typical of the menstrual cycle. From the article you will learn in more detail what pains can be considered a variant of the norm, in which cases it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Non-cyclic factors: mastalgia

If the pain is not caused by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, there may be such reasons:

disease thyroid gland;
problems with the pituitary gland;
improper functioning of the adrenal glands;
the presence of inflammation in the chest, neoplasms;
liver disease;
problems with the nervous system (for example, intercostal neuralgia);
frequent stay in stressful situations;
taking hormonal drugs.

It’s not worth thinking about why nipples hurt. Leave this question to a specialist. If you suspect the presence of a disease, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive examination:

mammography;
Ultrasound of the mammary glands, pelvic organs;
tests for the amount of hormones in the blood;
puncture and other diagnostic tools if necessary.

If there are problems with mammary gland you may also need to consult an endocrinologist, gynecologist, oncologist.

Pain in the nipples during pregnancy, during lactation

Often painful nipples are a sign of pregnancy, but this cannot be taken as an unconditional truth. Immediately after fertilization, the level of prolactin increases, causing a rush of blood to the breast. The bust is preparing for the upcoming breastfeeding, the ducts of the mammary gland are growing, there is tension in the nerve fibers. The chest becomes very sensitive, during touching or close contact with the tissue, a burning sensation, discomfort, and pain can be caused. Over time, the gland adapts to changes in the woman's body and stops hurting.

During feeding, the baby may also experience pain in the nipples. The skin here is very thin, delicate, so in the first days of feeding the baby reacts to a natural stimulus. Incorrect attachment of the child can aggravate the situation up to the appearance of cracks. So, nipples hurt: what to do?

It is better to immediately contact a specialist who will teach you how to:

take care of your breasts
put the baby to the breast;
taking the breast from the baby after feeding;
choose a bra.

An important rule for problem-free feeding is moderate breast hygiene. Do not wash it with soap before each feeding, it is enough to take a shower twice a day.

During suckling, the baby should capture the areola, and not just the nipple.

If a crack has formed on the chest, you can use a special nozzle for feeding - it allows you to avoid pain. If the mother decides to temporarily attach the baby to only one breast, the second should be expressed so that the milk does not stagnate and the volume of its production does not decrease.

To wean a baby, use your little finger to spread the baby's gums. If you just pull the breast, the baby will reflexively squeeze it, injuring the nipple.

What can be done to alleviate the condition

So, why nipples hurt when touched, we figured it out. Now we should consider how a woman can alleviate her condition.

Visit to the doctor. If the nipples hurt quite a lot, you should visit a mammologist. The doctor will help identify the cause and prescribe adequate treatment. Without this stage, any action will be ineffective. Treating the symptoms is short-term, and finding the root cause will in most cases fix the problem.
Minimum touch. There is no need to provoke the appearance of pain once again. Do not touch your chest unnecessarily, get high-quality underwear without seams.
Moisturizing and softening. If the pain is provoked due to dry skin, often wash the nipples with water without soap, lubricate them sea buckthorn oil. It is advisable for nursing mothers, after applying the baby to the breast, not to wipe the nipples, but to lubricate them a small amount milk and leave to dry.

During pregnancy, lactation, the use of any drugs, even the most harmless, should be agreed with the doctor.

When to worry

There are quite a few reasons why women have sore nipples. However, there clear signs that something is wrong in the body:

white, green, yellow, black or with blood impurities;
areola and nipple changed shape, size, color;
swelling, erosion appeared on the painful area.

In any case, if there are any doubts and discomfort, a visit to the clinic will not be superfluous. When the nipples hurt very badly, you can’t stand it.

Why do men's nipples hurt?

Nipples can hurt not only in women, but also in men. Most often this is a consequence hormonal disorders, so the first thing to do is to visit a doctor and get tested for hormones.

- This is a disease that leads to breast enlargement in men due to hypertrophy of adipose tissue and glands. There may be unilateral and bilateral gynecomastia. In this case, pain is usually felt in the nipples. Depending on the stage of the disease, it may be necessary surgical intervention to remove excess adipose tissue.

If the nipples of a girl or a woman hurt, this may be the norm or a deviation. It all depends on the intensity of the pain, its cyclicity. Only by finding out the cause of the pain, you can assess the situation and take some measures to eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Pain in the nipples of a man should alert. You should immediately visit an endocrinologist to find out the cause of discomfort.

The mammary gland performs important function in the female body: she is assigned the role of the synthesis of milk for a newborn baby. Sometimes there may be pain in the nipples, which is associated with mechanical damage, physiology or pathological causes. This symptom should alert the patient, since in most cases it is a harbinger serious illnesses such as mastitis and cancer.

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Symptoms

Unpleasant sensations in the chest are appropriate to consider based on the type of pain, its nature, localization and frequency.

Type of pain

There are three main types of pain that can manifest in the nipples:

1. Acute- increases with movement and wearing a bra, may be accompanied by tingling and a feeling of swelling of the entire nipple.
2. Aching- is expressed by moderate pain sensations, which periodically disappear and appear. Such pain is closely related to the mechanical effect on the chest.
3. Stitching and spastic- a pulsation and many small tingling sensations are felt in the chest, which intensify with sudden movements.

Intensity

The severity of discomfort is one of important factors at diagnosis: heat stronger pain syndrome appears, the more serious its cause.

According to the intensity of pain sensations are classified into the following groups:

1. Strong pain- accompanied by a mass of additional symptoms, including fever, hardness of the mammary glands.
2. Moderate- develops as a response to an irritant, occurs periodically, but can develop into a strong one in the presence of a serious illness.
3. Discomfort and irritation- the consequences of traumatism of the nipples or a minor hormonal disorder, pass on their own.

Conditions of occurrence

There is a close relationship between the root cause of pain and the conditions for its occurrence, which is of no small importance in differential diagnosis.

Pain can manifest itself in the following conditions:

1. When pressed, the nipple is edematous, and when pressed on it, a seal is felt. There is no pain at rest.
2. When moving or raising your arms up - especially if you have big breast nipples can hurt when its various vibrations are made: running, dancing, swimming, horse racing.
3. When wearing tight underwear - squeeze small capillaries, metabolic processes slow down, nerve endings suffer, signaling the need to normalize blood flow.
4. When touched - pain can be so strong and pronounced that it occurs even when touching the mammary gland.

An additional parameter may be the appearance of small inclusions, irritation and rash on the chest.

Localization

Pain can manifest itself both symmetrically and separately. Discomfort may include:

1. Only the nipple - only the left or right can hurt, both or in turn.
2. Entire breast and nipple - given state indicates the presence of a disease of the mammary gland, most often of hormonal origin.
3. Entire chest - immediate diagnosis and treatment required.

Quite often, pain in the nipples spills over the entire chest, affecting the chest. This happens with serious endocrine disorders, tumors and acute inflammatory processes.

Periodicity

In most cases discomfort in the nipples are associated with hormonal changes in the body of a woman, which occurs monthly. Therefore, when collecting an anamnesis, the frequency of pain and its dependence on the phase of the menstrual cycle are taken into account. Unpleasant sensations may occur:

1. Before menstruation - occur 2-3 days before the onset of menstruation.
2. During menstruation - develop in the first 3-4 days of a new cycle.
3. Regardless of the phase of the cycle - this condition requires immediate examination.
4. Constantly - a signal of the presence of a disease or improperly selected linen.
5. Suddenly - can serve as a sign of another pathology.

Any discomfort in the nipples that does not go away on its own for 2-3 days is a reason to go to the doctor.

All of the above characteristics of pain sensations will help the doctor in collecting the primary history, since based on the data received from the patient, you can quickly navigate the further course of action.

Additional symptoms

In the presence of serious pathologies additional symptoms may develop, such as:

increased body temperature - general and local, in the chest area;
chills and fever;
the appearance of seals in the chest;
inability to sleep in a position on the stomach;
irritability;
discharge of pus, colostrum or ichor from the nipple;
darkening of the areola of the nipple, changing its shape;
unpleasant odor of discharge;
Availability inflammatory process;
psychosomatic disorders.

Similar clinical picture indicates the need for diagnosis and identification true reason pathological condition.

Appearance period

Extremely rarely, pain occurs suddenly and has no prerequisites. Most often, discomfort is associated with various processes in the body that are controlled by hormones.

Pregnancy

Starting from the first days of delay in the body future mother there are changes that are necessary for the successful development of the fetus. This also applies to the breast, which begins to grow rapidly and increase in size. Such a physiological process is necessary so that in the future the synthesized milk can accumulate and arrive in the required volumes.

An increase in breast volume entails stretching of the tissues, so the nipples may hurt. A woman feels a slight burning sensation, discomfort when touched, sometimes swelling and fever. Usually, the symptoms disappear by the end of the first trimester, when the hormonal background of the pregnant woman stabilizes. This condition is a variant of the norm and does not indicate the presence of pathology.

Consultation with a specialist is needed when, during pregnancy, the breast begins to hurt a lot, it burns, the skin peels off and becomes rough. Specialized nipple care products may be needed to help reduce discomfort.

If in the first weeks of pregnancy there are severe pain in the nipples, which are accompanied by signs of toxicosis, but disappear at a certain point, a woman needs to visit a doctor. Dramatic improvement general condition may indicate the presence of a frozen pregnancy, when the body cannot cope with the synthesis of hormones, and the fetus cannot fully develop. If during the period from the 4th to the 10th week the nipples hurt a lot, but then the pain abruptly disappeared and does not manifest itself in the future, this is considered a reason for an additional visit to a specialist.

Lactation

After the arrival of milk, the breast becomes heavy and enlarged, which is considered the norm. Feeding on the first day after the birth of a child is quite traumatic, since the unprepared skin of the nipples can crack, bleed and hurt under mechanical pressure.

During the feeding period, it is important to control how the baby captures the nipple. If this manipulation is carried out incorrectly, pain can persist not only during feeding, but also after it. The nipple should fit on the baby's tongue, and the baby's lips should fit snugly against the halo. Usually after 1-2 weeks lactation is getting better, and skin nipples become rougher.

If the baby does not take the breast well or eats less milk, the excess should be removed. mechanically with hands or a breast pump. Otherwise, permanent milk will lead to blockage of the ducts, which will lead to the development of mastopathy, seals, pain and high temperature.

puberty

A girl's puberty includes the onset of her menstrual cycle and breast growth. These processes of activation of the reproductive system indicate the readiness of the organism for reproduction. It is important for parents to ensure that there are no seals, pains, swelling in the teenager’s chest, and to consider any complaints of the child together with the doctor.

Against the background of hormonal changes, breast pathologies can occur, caused by improper functioning of the endocrine system. This is especially true for adolescents with overweight and iodine deficiency, as well as a tendency to diabetes.

Bras are bought as the breast increases, as improperly selected underwear during the period active growth mammary gland can also provoke the development of a number of pathologies.

PMS

When the egg remains unfertilized and the body does not need to prepare for the development of the embryo, hormones are rearranged, which signals the beginning of a new cycle and menstruation. During this period, the nipples may swell, coarsen, hurt, and the breasts may increase in size.

This condition is normal if there are no other concomitant symptoms. Usually on the 2nd - 3rd day of a new cycle, discomfort and pain disappear on their own, without requiring additional measures.

The reasons

All causes that can provoke pain in the nipples are divided into two categories - pathological and non-pathological:

in the first case, pain is a consequence of the progression of the disease, the treatment of which should be done as soon as possible;
in the second - the pain syndrome is associated with the influence external factors, which are not harbingers of any pathology.

Non-pathological

Peculiarity non-pathological causes is that they provoke the appearance of periodic and moderate pain, which is able to pass on its own, without outside help. If this did not happen even after the elimination of one or another factor, a consultation with a mammologist is required.

The most common reasons for this group are:

1. Incorrectly selected underwear that squeezes the mammary gland.
2. Mechanical damage to the chest when running or sudden movements.
3. Natural hormonal changes in the body (pregnancy, menstruation, puberty).
4. Wearing squeezing clothing: corsets, tights, bandages.
5. Taking drugs ( oral contraceptives), which provoke an artificial change in the hormonal background.
6. Lack of proper breast hygiene.

Pathological

Breast disease can develop different reasons, but most often the problem lies in the hormones. It is failures in endocrine system provoke the appearance of breast pathologies, which are accompanied by soreness of the nipples, the presence of secretions, swelling and swelling:

Disease	The reasons	Characteristic
Neoplasms malignant (cancer) and benign	Hormonal failure, wearing tight underwear, the presence of stagnant processes in the chest, problematic lactation	Severe chest pain, swelling, swelling of the nipple, bumps and lumps, purulent or bloody discharge, pain in the armpit
Mental disorder	Impact severe stress, which produces a large number of hormones	Sharp, paroxysmal pain in the chest, nipples, and chest
Endocrine diseases: diabetes, thyrotoxicosis	Disorders in the hormonal system	Pain in the nipples at the beginning of the cycle, their darkening and coarsening, a number of additional symptoms
Accompanying illnesses	Intercostal neuralgia, trauma chest, chronic diseases sternum	Pain in the nipples develops due to irritation of the nerve receptors that articulate with the larger nerve endings of the chest
Mastitis	Progression of the inflammatory process in the mammary gland caused by the ingress of pathogenic microorganisms	Heat, sharp pain in the chest, seals

It is impossible to determine what exactly is happening in the body, and to trace the dependence of pain on the effects of hormones on your own. This requires passing complex diagnostics and then get the best treatment.

Frequent soreness of the nipples, not associated with the phase of the cycle, is quite dangerous, as it indicates the presence of a serious pathology. This is how breast cancer manifests itself, which can only be overcome with early diagnosis. This necessitates the annual medical examination and examination of the mammary glands by a mammologist. The risk group includes women who complete lactation, as well as patients during menopause, when the hormonal background is unstable.

Pain in the nipples is a symptom of many diseases. 6 out of 10 women experience this phenomenon. There are quite a few reasons why nipples hurt. Most often they are associated with hormonal changes in the body. Hormonal background changes during pregnancy, lactation, menopause and in the premenstrual period.

In addition, pain is accompanied by various breast cysts, mastopathy. Also, pain can appear when taking hormonal drugs and antidepressants. Another cause of pain can be an incorrectly fitted bra.

Let's look at the main diseases that cause nipples in women to hurt: what are they called, what other symptoms do I have and how should they be treated so that the pain in the nipples stops.

This term refers to pain that appears a few days before the onset of menstruation. Pain is due to the fact that during this period the hormone progesterone increases in the blood, and when interacting with biologically active substances, it retains fluid throughout the body and, accordingly, in the mammary gland.

Because of this, the blood supply to the mammary gland increases, it increases in size, the nerve endings are affected - as a result, the woman's nipples hurt, and in addition, pain can occur in other areas of the mammary gland.

With cyclic mastodynia, the nipples hurt in a special way: the pain appears only when the nipple is touched. This condition is not a disease and disappears with the onset of menstruation.

Mastodynia does not require special treatment. These days, it is enough to wear a comfortable bra that will not put pressure on the nipples and, thereby, provoke pain.

Important: this diagnosis should be made by a doctor exclusively by a doctor! Self-diagnosis that does not require treatment can lead to the fact that some disease you have not noticed can progress and lead to serious consequences for health and life! If your nipples hurt, do not diagnose yourself - contact a mammologist!

Non-cyclic mastalgia

With non-cyclic mastalgia, pain is not associated with hormonal changes organism. Most often, this is a sign of inflammation or neoplasm in the mammary gland. Also, pain can appear when there is a malfunction. nervous system and endocrine organs (pituitary gland, adrenal glands).

Another cause of pain in the nipples can be nervous tension, regular conflict situations, stress.

Mastopathy

Mastopathy is benign disease, which is characterized by the appearance of formations and seals in the mammary gland.

Causes of the disease

The disease affects women from 18 to 45 years. Most common in 30 - 45 years. The reason for this is the hormonal imbalance that occurs under the influence of adverse factors. There may also be increased production of prolactin. This hormone is produced during pregnancy and lactation to produce milk. But if it is produced outside of pregnancy, it will lead to the appearance of mastopathy.

In addition to hormonal disorders, the causes of the disease can be:

hereditary predisposition;
frequent abortions;
tumors of the uterus and ovaries;
liver disease;
diseases of the thyroid gland and adrenal glands;
frequent stress;
irregular sex life;
absence of pregnancy and childbirth up to 30 years;
chest injury;
lack of iodine in the body;
smoking and alcohol.

There are 2 types of mastopathy:

Nodular - a single seal is found in the gland. Depending on the structure of the compaction, nodular mastopathy can be in the form of a fibroadenoma or a cyst.

Diffuse mastopathy is characterized by the presence of multiple seals in the mammary gland. They can also be in the form of fibroadenomas or cysts. In addition, there is a diffuse mastopathy of a mixed form.

Symptoms:

The manifestation of symptoms in each woman depends on many factors: the type of mastopathy, accompanying illnesses. Most often, women are worried about stupid aching pain before menses. due to swelling connective tissue the mammary gland is enlarged and engorged. With multiple seals in the chest, the pain becomes unbearable.

Sometimes there may be discharge from the chest. The color will depend on the duration of the process and may be transparent, white or green. When spotting from the chest, you need to urgently seek help.

Treatment

Mastopathy can be treated conservatively and operatively.

Conservative treatment involves taking hormonal and non-hormonal drugs.

Non-hormonal treatment:

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
homeopathic preparations;
vitamins;
iodine preparations;
painkillers;
anti-inflammatory drugs.

Hormonal treatment:

Hormones are prescribed to correct hormonal imbalances.

gestagens;
prolactin secretion inhibitors;
oral contraceptives.

Surgical treatment is prescribed for fibroids, rarely in the presence of a cyst, as well as for breast cancer.

Pain in the nipples during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Chest pain can be attributed to one of the early signs pregnancy. A woman begins to produce the hormone prolactin, the blood supply to the breast and the growth of the ducts of the mammary gland increase. All this is the cause of the pain. Fortunately, the pain goes away with time.

Pain during feeding occurs frequently. Young mothers do not properly attach the baby when feeding, and the baby may also have an incorrect sucking technique due to the use of pacifiers.

In any case, when pain occurs in the mammary gland, it is better to consult a doctor and get qualified advice. Do not self-medicate, as this can aggravate the course of the disease. Be healthy!

Pain in the area of the mammary glands and areolas of the nipples may be evidence of both natural physiological processes in the body of a woman, and pathological changes.

Physiological causes of pain in the chest and nipples

Before menstruation

The most common cause of nipple pain is impending menstruation. During this period - from the middle of the cycle or a few days before menstruation - in women, the level of hormones such as progesterone and prolactin rises in the blood.

An increase in their concentration causes fluid retention in tissues and organs - edema, including in the mammary gland. The ducts of the mammary glands swell and compress the nerve endings, as a result, the nipples become overly sensitive: any touch to them causes discomfort and even pain.

During pregnancy

The cause of pain in the nipples can be pregnancy. From the first weeks female breast undergoes active structural changes, preparing for future lactation.

The level of hormones again rises and the milk ducts very quickly gain volume. Meanwhile nerve fibers grow not so rapidly, as a result, they for a long time are in a state of tension - this is why the nipples and breasts in general hurt in women at the beginning of pregnancy.

During the period of breastfeeding

Breast pain can also occur while breastfeeding. There are several reasons for this:

First of all, this is due to the fact that the breasts “fill up”, and from a significant increase in volume, pain appears in the chest area, in general, and the nipples, in particular.
The nipples can hurt due to improper breast capture by the child: either the mother incorrectly attaches the baby to the breast, or she is swollen and the nipples are roughened so that the baby cannot take it correctly. The baby can take the breast incorrectly if the mother has taken an uncomfortable position for him or placed the baby in an uncomfortable position. Due to improper grip, the nipples are injured, cracked, and this can cause more serious breast diseases.
Pain in the nipples can occur if a nursing mother takes the breast too abruptly from the baby at the end of feeding.
The skin on the nipples is thin and dry. A few days after childbirth, it will become rough and covered with grease, and in the first days, feeding a newborn can cause significant discomfort.

Irregularly shaped nipples - inverted, long, with folds or growths. When feeding, they can be injured and hurt.
Beginning mastitis or stagnation of milk.

Pathological causes of pain in the nipples

Pain in the chest, including in the nipples, can appear not only due to hormonal changes or feeding the baby, but also for a number of other reasons:

breast tumor

Painful sensations in the chest area are often accompanied by neoplasms, both benign and malignant. However, in such cases, pain is not the only symptom.

Typically, the development of breast tumors is accompanied by:

selection,
changes in color and shape, size of the nipple and areola,
pain in the armpit,
and also the fact that discomfort is usually observed in one breast.

In addition, self-examination of this breast may reveal nodules. If you have noticed in yourself similar symptoms- go to the doctor immediately!

Taking OK, the action of which is based on the work of hormones

The use of such drugs can cause hormonal imbalance in the body, which is manifested, among other things, by breast soreness. Often nipple pain is indicated as side effect contraceptive in the instructions for use.

However, if such sensations cause severe discomfort, means it is better to change after consultation with the gynecologist.

Psychological background

In some cases, soreness in the area of the mammary glands is the result of emotional shock, stress, experienced a strong conflict. The fact is that all these psychological phenomena exert their influence on the fragile hormonal balance, with which breast sensitivity is closely related.

Malfunctions of the endocrine or central nervous systems

Pain in the nipples can also be a symptom of diseases such as intercostal neuralgia and adrenal dysfunction. In addition, it often accompanies reflex and segmental pain, disorders in the pituitary gland, thyroid gland and liver.

What to do with pain in the chest and nipples?

Not every time with pain in the nipples it is worth sounding the alarm. If you have established that pain occurs in accordance with certain phases of the menstrual cycle, there is nothing to worry about: with the advent of menstruation, there will be no trace of pain when touching the chest.

The norm is soreness of the nipples in women during pregnancy, as well as at the beginning of the period breastfeeding.

How to reduce sore nipples?

What to do to reduce discomfort during these periods:

follow the rules of hygiene (but do not overdo it: do not use soap or gels with every breast wash),
wear underwear right size, if possible, from natural fabrics and without traumatic sutures,
avoid excessive stimulation of the breast and overexcitation.

If you are a nursing mother or will soon become one, do not be too lazy to study the information on the correct attachment of the baby to the breast - it will significantly reduce pain in the mammary gland during feeding. After a while, the pain will disappear completely and, in the future, the feeding period will proceed without problems.

When do you need to see a doctor urgently?

If you are not pregnant and not breastfeeding, your period is over, and you still feel that your nipples hurt, you should be alert and watch accompanying pain symptoms.

An urgent visit to a mammologist is necessary if the following signs are found:

bloody or purulent discharge from the nipple;
noticeable deformation of the mammary gland as a whole, as well as the nipple and areola, abrupt change colors;
the appearance on the chest, namely on the skin of the areola and nipple, cracks, ulcers, redness, swelling;
continuity of pain, its intensification.

Remember that pain is always a signal of the body. It is important to correctly recognize it and identify the cause of pain. Self-care is the key to health.

It often happens that for many reasons a woman feels unpleasant pain in the nipples. There are many various reasons. We have to figure out why a woman's nipples hurt. Since pain in the chest area can be caused by various processes in the body, both natural and beneficial for a person, and not so much, and pain in the nipples can signal any abnormalities.

Why do nipples hurt? There are many provoking factors that affect the occurrence of these pains. In girls, pain occurs as a result of growing up, before and during menstruation, during pregnancy and during lactation, with stagnation of milk and for a number of other reasons. When painful sensations arise, the question arises: what are the reasons when the nipples hurt. And what to do when discomfort? Let us find out the main reasons for this phenomenon.

Before menstruation

Before menstruation, many women have chest pain, nipples hurt a couple of days before menstruation, this phenomenon is called mastalgia. The breast becomes larger, the nipples become coarse, and pain is felt. The pain is most pronounced at the beginning of the cycle, then subsides.

Women have long been interested in the question: why do nipples hurt before menstruation? During the preparation of the body for menstruation, the body produces the hormones progesterone and prolactin, this is a factor in the appearance of pain in the nipples. When menstruation begins, the pain becomes less and less, then disappears altogether. Although there are exceptions when the chest can hurt during this process.

Pregnancy

At that time female body begins active preparation for childbirth, the body begins to occur major changes, one of which is breast augmentation, filling it with milk. Nipples darken, swell, colostrum begins to form. Important hormones such as progesterone and prolactin are also produced, which can lead to hypersensitivity and chest pain.

Why does a girl's nipples hurt during pregnancy? And what if the nipples are swollen and sore? You should not worry, the mother's body is preparing for feeding. At this time, all the changes taking place in the breast are the development of the milk lobules. This phenomenon occurs only during pregnancy and women who give birth in the future become less susceptible to cancer.

Each experiences the process of pregnancy in different ways: some have tingling in the nipples, others are especially sensitive to cold, some nipples become darker, but the sensitivity remains the same, while other women have a sore papilla and breasts in general. But by the beginning of the second trimester, the pain begins to subside.

Feeding

The pain appears when the breast is filled with milk, increases in volume. Because of this, girls are worried about pain in the mammary glands.

Also, sore nipples can be triggered by the following factors:

if the nipples are irregularly shaped;
with the wrong butt of the child to the chest;
with too sharp weaning of the child from the breast.

In this case, the nipples are deformed, cracked and this can cause more serious consequences for the chest. At the same time, you need to alternate feeding: if the left papilla of a woman hurts, you need to change the breast, if the right nipple hurts, you need to give the left one.

milk stasis

When milk stagnates, it large quantities accumulates in the chest. Then the nipples hurt when pressed, the nipples hurt when touched. To avoid this, after giving birth, you need to consult with a specialist on the topic of proper breastfeeding, to clarify all the nuances. If the baby does not take the breast, you need to express, in order to avoid stagnation and subsequent pain.

In addition to this, there are other important reasons the occurrence of pain that is uncomfortable for the body of a woman. Let's look at other reasons why nipples may hurt.

Other reasons

Puberty

During this period, the processes of active production of hormones take place in the girl’s body. , the mammary glands grow, become larger, the breast becomes more sensitive, at such moments the chest especially hurts in the nipple area.

During puberty, the girl's body begins active preparation for the process of motherhood. As a rule, at the end of puberty, these inconveniences pass. If, nevertheless, the pain does not go away for a long time, it is necessary to consult a specialist in order to exclude any pathologies.

Frequent nipple stimulation

This zone is the most sensitive and at first you may not understand why a woman's papilla hurts.

Everything is very simple: if the nipple zone is excited or stimulated too often, then the chest in the nipple area often hurts because of this. It is necessary to control the stimulation so that it does not cause discomfort, and in the future it would not hurt to touch the nipples.

Low temperature

At low temperatures behind the breast is necessary special care, since at this time the nipples are able to shrink and redden, which can lead to pain. If your nipples become red and dry, you need to take special care of this part of the body: use a padded bra, moisturize your nipples so that there is no dryness and irritation.

allergic reactions

Some women have particular sensitivities to various fabrics and body care products that can irritate the nipples. In this case, you need to choose clothes and underwear made from natural fabrics, and cosmetics - on a natural basis.

Injuries

After injuries and strokes, pain in the nipples may occur.

If blood or any discharge comes out of the nipples, you should immediately consult a doctor!

Improper use of oral contraceptives

As a result of mishandling contraceptives may happen hormonal disbalance. Therefore, you cannot select these funds on your own, they must be prescribed by a doctor who, after a series of studies, will select contraceptives for you individually.

Severe emotional states, stress

Stressful situations often lead to hormonal imbalance, one of the symptoms of which can be pain in the nipples.

Skin diseases

Such diseases include thrush or the herpes virus. With thrush, the virus enters the mammary glands through cracks in the nipples, as a result of which they become inflamed, sore and crusted. The main thing is to diagnose the problem in time and turn to a specialist to prevent subsequent complications.

Wrong linen

In most cases, when pain occurs, women do not take into account that the wrong bra may be the culprit. You should know that improperly selected underwear is one of the most common causes of pain in the nipples and chest.

breast cancer

Sometimes obvious pain in the nipples is one of the signs of breast cancer. It is important to feel the chest for nodules and seals, if any, you should immediately contact a mammologist or gynecologist to dismiss such a diagnosis. Next, we will take a closer look at the alarming symptoms of neoplasms in the body.

anxiety symptoms

What to do if the nipples hurt, but you do not understand the cause of the pain? Pain may be a sign of cancer or benign formations, the development of this process is usually accompanied by additional symptoms such as: discharge from the nipple, swollen and red nipples, breast changes, pain in the armpit.

As a rule, one breast is subject to pain, if, for example, it hurts left breast, the left nipple hurts, then seals and neoplasms will be on it. Therefore, if you notice these symptoms in yourself, you do not need to deal with self-medication and self-diagnosis, you need to visit a specialist.

Prevention

If pain in the nipples manifests itself with certain natural phenomena: pregnancy, feeding, before menstrual cycle, it's not worth sounding the alarm, through soon pain symptoms disappear on their own. it normal processes associated with certain processes in a woman's life.

But it is necessary to visit a mammologist if you do not understand why the nipples hurt a lot, and in addition to pain there are the following symptoms: bleeding from the nipples, redness and inflammation of the nipples, discoloration of the nipples, severe sharp pains.

What to do if nipples hurt, how to make your life easier and reduce pain?

Before treating nipple pain, you must:

find out the cause of the pain;
less likely to touch the affected area;
do not press if the nipples hurt when touched, you should wear loose clothing in which you will be comfortable, and not two sizes smaller;
observe the rules of hygiene;
protect the chest from mechanical damage.

If the pain of the nipples does not go away and is gaining strength, you need to consult a specialist. At the consultation, the doctor conducts a survey, finds out why the woman's nipples hurt. Also, the mammologist will palpate the breast, if necessary, prescribe an ultrasound or mammography and, depending on the result, prescribe the necessary treatment.

Treatment

To treat sore nipples, the following will help:

The use of emollients and moisturizers that help restore the affected areas.
Also used ethnoscience, for example, a solution of propolis, aloe juice, which has an anti-inflammatory effect, disinfecting and analgesic oils on plant-based, decoctions of chamomile, calendula, St. John's wort, as well as the use of ointments based on herbal preparations.

To prevent the occurrence of complications of pain in the chest area, when the first unpleasant symptoms see a doctor. This will help to find out the reason why the nipple or chest in general hurts. Follow the rules of hygiene, do not use cosmetics based on alcohol, choose comfortable underwear, do not self-medicate, listen to your body and be healthy!

Video

Why do breasts and nipples hurt? You will find the answer to this question in our video.