Severe breast pain/gland pain in breasts around monthly cycle

[Spangalow07]

Hello ladies, hope everyone is keeping well in the current circumstances. I wonder if anyone may be able to help at all? Around 48 hours before my period I have the most severe and horrendous breast pain and swelling/lumps in my lymph nodes and glands which brings me to tears and barely able to lift my arms or get comfortable. This is new, only happening for the past 2 months or so. I am guessing this is hormone related as it comes like clockwork each month, but it does seem to be getting worse and worse - to the point where I burst into tears even removing my bra. I know with recent blood tests my hormones are all over the place (looking to ttc via IVF next year), but are there any hints or tips to make it more bearable? I have both endo and PCOS and the monthly cycle has me struggling as it is with severe pelvic pain so this new added discomfort is not welcomed. Thanks so much!

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

🤔 Breast Pain is likely to be a knock-on effect of PCOS.

Treatment

There is no cure for PCOS, but treatment aims to manage the symptoms that affect an individual.

This will depend on whether the individual wants to become pregnant and aims to reduce the risk of secondary medical conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes.

There are several recommended treatment options, including:

Birth control pills: These can help regulate hormones and menstruation.

Diabetes medications: These help manage diabetes, if necessary.

Fertility medications: If pregnancy is desired, these include the use of clomiphene (Clomid), a combination of clomiphene and metformin, or injectable gonadotropins, such as follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) medications. In certain situations, letrozole (Femara) may be recommended.

Fertility treatments: These include in-vitro fertilization (IVF) or inseminations.

Excessive hair growth may be reduced with the drug spironolactone (Aldactone) or eflornithine (Vaniqa). Finasteride (Propecia) may also be recommended, but it should not be handled by women who may become pregnant.

Anyone using spironolactone should use birth control, due to the risk of birth defects if taken while pregnant. Breast-feeding on this medication is not recommended.

Other possible options to manage hair growth is laser hair removal, electrolysis, hormonal treatments, or vitamin and mineral use.

Surgical options include:

Ovarian drilling: Tiny holes made in the ovaries can reduce the levels of androgens being produced.

Oophorectomy: Surgery removes one or both ovaries.

Hysterectomy: This involves removal of all or part of the uterus.

Cyst aspiration: Fluid is removed from the cyst.

Home remedies

There is no cure for PCOS, but some home and lifestyle interventions can make a difference and relieve some symptoms.

These include:

eating a healthy, well-balanced diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables

participating in regular physical activity

maintaining a healthy weight, to reduce androgen levels and reduce the risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease

not smoking, as this increases levels of androgens and the risk of heart disease

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