Chest pain during breastfeeding | Chest pain on the right

Chest pain during breastfeeding

When breastfeeding, chest pain can be attributed to two different mechanisms. For example, increased milk production can lead to a feeling of tension and resulting pain in the breast. Ideally, the amount of milk produced should correspond to the amount the baby drinks.

If this is not the case, the breast pain can be alleviated, for example, by pumping out the milk. Another cause of breast pain can be inflammation of the breast. Skin bacteria can penetrate the breast through small injuries to the skin and cause local inflammation.

Typically, the breast is reddened and swollen, and it can also be painfully tense and overheated. During menopause many hormonal remodelling processes take place in the female body. Typically, this mainly affects the sexual organs.

These include the ovaries and uterus, but the female breast can also be affected. This results in increased fattyness of the breast, while the connective tissue becomes weaker. These changes can cause breast pain, but often occur on both sides (one after the other or even simultaneously). If the breast pain is only present on one side, a gynaecologist should be consulted. The reason for the pain can be cysts or tissue growth (benign or malignant) in the right breast, for example.

Where do your chest pains occur?

Chest pain on the left side of the body is much more common than on the right side. Last but not least, the heart is very often the cause of complaints. Various diseases can be present here.

Direct pain in the heart (see: heart pain) can be an acute circulatory disorder. The complaints are summarized under the term angina pectoris. They are accompanied by a sudden attack of pain in the chest, a feeling of tightness and difficulty breathing.

The affected person often develops great anxiety. The pain can also radiate to the right side. A narrowing of the coronary arteries can therefore result in a threatening heart attack.

If the coronary vessels become increasingly narrow due to deposits, the adjacent heart muscles are no longer supplied with sufficient blood. A stabbing acute pain in the left chest sets in, which can be accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating and nausea. This pain often radiates into the shoulder and left arm.

But since the symptoms of a heart attack can vary greatly, the pain can also spread to the back and the right half of the chest. Patients often suffer from fear of death and should be taken to hospital as soon as possible. Other possible heart diseases are cardiac arrhythmia and high blood pressure (hypertension).

These also cause pain in the left half of the chest, accompanied by shortness of breath and headaches. In an aortic aneurysm, the vessel wall of a bulge in the aorta ruptures. This is a life-threatening situation because the patient loses a lot of blood.

The symptoms can radiate into the back and the entire chest. In the case of chest pain on the right, it can radiate into the shoulder and arm. Chest pain that radiates into the left arm is particularly dangerous, as this occurs classically in acute heart attacks.

In this case, immediate action with notification of the rescue service is necessary. In rare cases, it is also possible that there is pain in the chest and in the right arm. Although this is not typical for a heart attack, this pain should be clarified quickly.

Stress related chest pain on the right, which originates from the heart, can also radiate into the arm. In addition to cardiological causes, muscular or nervous problems with chest pain radiating into the arm are also conceivable. For example, muscle tension in the thorax can pull into the arm via the interconnection of the nerves, and direct nerve entrapment can also manifest itself in this way.

As a further trigger for chest pain on the right and pulling into the arm, the gallbladder can be responsible for the discomfort. Although the cramping pain caused by gallstones is usually indicated in the upper abdomen, it can also pull into the chest and typically also manifests itself in the right arm. In some cases, shingles is also the cause of the symptoms.

This rash can occur anywhere on the body, including on the chest and arm. In this case, chest pain can also occur on the right side of the arm, and a rash can be seen over the painful areas.