Fibrocystic Breasts

Overview

Tender or painful breasts are rarely a sign of a serious problem. Most women have painful breasts (mastalgia) at one time or another. Only your doctor can tell you the reason for your discomfort, so it's important to have painful breasts evaluated.

If you aren't yet menopausal, your doctor is likely to tell you that your discomfort results from the way your hormone levels fluctuate during your menstrual cycle. The fluctuations can make your breasts have areas of lumpy thickening that feel tender, sore and swollen. Those fibrocystic breast changes often feel the worst a week or 10 days before your menstrual period, and the pain and lumpiness tends to clear up after your period.

Your Mayo Clinic doctor will work with you to tailor an individual treatment that takes into account your specific needs. Your doctor will also tell you whether you may be a candidate for appropriate clinical trials.

Why choose Mayo Clinic

• Experience. Mayo Clinic doctors have a great deal of experience in helping women find relief from painful fibrocystic breasts.
• Expertise. Mayo Clinic doctors have special training in breast health and have been researching ways to relieve breast pain for many years.
• Team approach. Integrated teams of doctors include doctors trained in family medicine, internal medicine and women's health.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for cancer by U.S. News & World Report.

Read more about fibrocystic breasts at MayoClinic.com.