Many women will suffer from the symptoms of sore breasts before their period and this usually occurs about two weeks before the period.  This can range from a mild discomfort to real extreme pain.

Why does this syndrome of tender breasts happen and what can be done about it?

This breast tenderness can extend to the under nipple-breast-armpit, underarm area as well. Is this a symptom of PMS (premenstrual syndrome) or does it carry over into the menstrual cycle?

What happens when a woman moves in perimenopause?

How long before the bleeding starts are the breasts sore?

Let’s look at all of the possible reasons.

Breast tenderness before, during or after your menstrual cycle is really a very normal occurrence. Since this is a fairly normal occurrence we can find many causes for these tender breasts and many cures or treatments as well.

Here are a few of these causes and cures before, during and/or after your menstrual cycle.

Your Menstrual Cycle: Let’s take a closer look at the actual stages of the menstrual cycle and potential causes of this issue. The woman’s menstrual cycle is the normal way that your body prepares for and allows for pregnancy. Many people confuse the menstrual cycle with a woman’s period when in fact the menstrual cycle runs from the beginning of one period to the beginning of another. The average menstrual cycle runs about 28 days although it can and does vary in many women.

Pre-menstrual stage – This stage can last for 2 to 3 weeks prior to the start of the menstrual cycle. You can experience very sore breasts before your period and swelling in the breasts during this stage.  This might come and go during this time.

First Stage – The follicular stage last from the very first day of menstrual cycle until the woman begins  ovulation. During this stage there is a thickening of the uterine lining due to the estrogen levels being increased and at the same time one or more eggs begin to mature. Tender breasts occur at this time.

Second Stage – The Luteal stage follows the follicular one when the mature egg in your ovary is released and moves into the fallopian tube. The Luteal stage ends on the first day of your period.  A woman in this stage produces progesterone in high levels and prepares the uterus for the reception and nurturing of the fertilized egg. The breasts are not usually sore in this timeframe.

Period Stage – This occurs when pregnancy does not and the body of the woman sheds both the eggs and the uterine lining. You can experience soreness in the breasts during this stage.

Post menstrual stage – This stage can last for a week or two after the end of your period. Some women do experience sore or tender breasts in this period. If you do there is no cause for worry. This is just an indication that your body is once again producing enough estrogen without the excess progesterone. There is however the possibility of a hormone imbalance that could cause excessive breast tenderness.

Hormones: Estrogen and progesterone are the two primary female hormones involved in this process.  Since estrogen increases in very high levels during the Follicular Stage without the progesterone that is created in the Luteal Stage, this causes the breast to swell and become tender or very sore. This is because estrogen is the female hormone that causes breasts to develop. There may also be a role for the thyroid.

Water Retention: Water retention or bloating during any of the stages of the menstrual cycle will also cause pain and swelling of the breasts as well.

Stress: What does stress have to do with breast tenderness during your menstrual cycle? We know it is very common to blame everything in our culture these days on stress, but the truth is it may be the culprit in some forms of soreness during the menstrual cycle. This is because hormones are released into the blood system during stress and these are the same hormones that cause tender breasts.

Contraception: Let’s say you don’t “get your period” at all due to your use of some form of contraception or birth control. Will you still get tender breasts and if so why? The answer is not likely. You could put contraception in the category of cures and treatments. In fact we will.

Remedies and Treatments

Contraception: There are many forms of contraception including the pill, IUD’s and rings, the patch or shot. All of these control the menstrual cycle so completely that breast pain is limited, predictable and manageable.

Some women will have some minor breast pain when they are beginning contraception but it will dissipate quickly. After quitting birth control you will find that the hormones that cause breast tenderness will once again be produced in large amounts during the menstrual cycle and will once again cause some level of breast pain.

Foods To Avoid With Breast Tenderness: Avoid caffeine since it contains a chemical called methylxanthine which can cause blood vessel dilation and when this happens in the breasts, it caused fluid buildup in the breast. This fluid buildup causes some serious breast pain.

Studies have also been done that show if you eat a lot of animal fat and dairy products you can develop extreme breast pain and sensitivity before your menstrual cycle starts.  Part of this is due to the hormones that are given to livestock these days. So if you are going to consume these products choose organic, grass fed with no added hormones.

Greens: Eating a large amount of greens and vegetables can help you to counteract breast pain naturally without any medications or pharmaceuticals. These vegetables include broccoli, spinach, collard greens, kale, brown rice and sweet potatoes and will help to reduce breast tenderness.

Medications: Over the counter (OTC) medications can be used as relief for breast tenderness during the menstrual cycle. Standard PMS (Premenstrual syndrome) and menstrual cycle medications like Midol and Pamprin are somewhat affective for breast tenderness.  NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as naproxen, motrin, or others are also quite affective for menstrual cycle breast pain.

Vitamins and Minerals That Help With Breast Tenderness

There are certain vitamins and minerals that will assist with reducing sore breasts during and after your menstrual cycle. These vitamins and minerals will include magnesium, iron, Vitamin B 1, Vitamin E, Vitamin B 2, Vitamin D, and Vitamin C.

There are also certain vitamins and minerals that will help with bloating and soreness during Pre Menstrual Syndrome (PMS). These vitamins and minerals include magnesium, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin K 1, and Vitamin E.

These vitamins also boost both your mood and your immune system prior to starting your period.
In addition there are vitamins and minerals that help a woman’s body to absorb all those other vitamins and minerals that actually reduce breast pain. These assistance vitamins and minerals are iron, calcium and folic acid.

Effective Herbs and Supplements to Take

There are many herbs that will help to reduce soreness that are due to the menstrual cycle. Many of these are steeped and used as a tea and are a great substitute for coffee and caffeine filled drinks. Dandelion tea is a very effective diuretic and reducing fluid retention and bloating will reduce the soreness.

Other natural diuretics include rosemary, juniper and cypress. Other herbs that also will help with sore breasts during your menstrual cycle include Evening Primrose, Chaste berry and gla (Gamma Linolenic Acid).

You can also benefit greatly in reducing sore breasts before your period by using flower essences, essential oils and combination products.  Grape seed oil or almond oil mixed with a small amount of rosemary and massaged onto the breasts can be very helpful.

Bach Flower remedies will also assist in reducing the breast tenderness from menstrual cycles. Rescue Remedy never fails but you can also try Crap Apple Flower Remedy.

Studies have shown that mefenamic acid is effective on all pre and menstrual cycle issues except breast soreness.

“Thirty-seven patients suffering from premenstrual symptoms were each studied through three menstrual cycles. After a control cycle, mefenamic acid and placebo were given during the luteal phase of the cycle in a random double-blind cross over manner, each patient serving as her own control. The dosage of mefenamic acid was 500 mg thrice daily.

Medication significantly improved premenstrual symptoms, particularly tension, irritability, depression, pain and headache. It was not effective for breast symptoms. Most patients complaining of premenstrual symptoms also had menstrual symptoms, which were also improved by the mefenamic acid.” (THE TREATMENT OF PREMENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS WITH MEFENAMIC ACID.  C. Wood Professor and Head of Department, D. Jakubowicz Registrar Article first published online: 23 AUG 2005, DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1980.tb05018.x)

Perimenopause and Menopause: Perimenopause is that period when your body is slowly down your menstrual cycle and there are a lot of changes going on in the woman’s body. During this period as well as during menopause there can be some times when there is a slight breast tenderness caused by hormone fluctuations.

During both perimenopause and at the beginning of menopause the beginning of a women’s period is stretched out by longer and longer timeframes in between periods. This means there are longer pre and post menstrual periods where breast pain can occur.

You can see there are many causes and many remedies for sore breasts before, during and after your menstrual cycle. There is no reason for you to have to suffer with breast tenderness.