Introduction
The cycle-dependent chest pain is known in medical terminology as mastodynia. The breast is considered an erogenous zone and is subject to many changes in a woman’s life. These are particularly frequent in connection with hormonal changes such as puberty, pregnancy, breastfeeding and finally the menopause.
Especially the monthly menstrual period can lead to complaints in many women. These complaints can also affect younger women and increase again after the age of 30. Often an improvement can be seen with the beginning of the menopause.
What is the normal postovulatory chest pain?
A chest pain after ovulation is normal as long as it is a pain caused by the increased storage of water. In the second half of the cycle, after ovulation, the hormone progesterone dominates the female cycle. Progesterone causes small amounts of water to be stored in the body.
This is often not noticed. However, the increased volume can lead to feelings of tension in the breasts. The pain should therefore be explained by the tension in the breast.
Furthermore, the pain is only normal if it subsides with menstruation or can be explained by another specific cause. If the chest pain cannot be explained by a known cause, a medical examination should be carried out, as a number of causes, mostly benign in nature, are possible. An example would be mastopahy, which is caused by a defective regulation of the female hormones, or a benign soft tissue tumour in the breast. This topic could also be interesting for you: Can you feel ovulation?
What can severe pain during ovulation indicate?
Severe breast pain during ovulation or even shortly before ovulation can occur due to the normal hormonal fluctuations of the female cycle. Every woman reacts differently to the fluctuations of the female sex hormones. For example, one woman may show hardly any symptoms during the course of the female cycle, while another woman suffers from severe pain and pronounced premenstrual syndrome.
Classically, a feeling of tension occurs in the upper and outer area of the breast. Furthermore, small lumps in the breast can also occur and the lymph nodes in the armpit can swell. All these symptoms seem to be very prominent, but are still considered normal. Only if other symptoms occur, such as infertility, secretion from the nipples or thyroid dysfunction, must the cause be investigated. It is possible that the hormone prolactin, for example, is no longer within the normal range, which could trigger these symptoms.
Can chest pain also be a sign of pregnancy?
Breast pain can only be a sign of pregnancy if it occurs after ovulation, as fertilisation cannot take place before then. Shortly after the egg has been transferred to the uterus, the breast is remodeled to prepare it for breastfeeding. Through this process, the breast can swell and cause pain. However, chest pain alone should not be interpreted as a sure sign of pregnancy, as it can also have other causes. A pregnancy test can provide certainty.
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