About 60% of women experience periodic pain in the nipples. In most cases, they are directly related to a sharp change in the hormonal background. In some situations, soreness in the nipples may be a symptom of the pathological state of the mammary glands.
Cyclic mastodynia
The reasons why nipples hurt women, can be a large number. One way or another, not all of them are associated with the development of diseases. The phenomenon of soreness in the mammary glands was called mastodynia.
This disease is associated with cyclical changes in the body, which are observed during menstruation. So, many women notice a mild pain in the nipples during the menstrual cycle, which is usually observed after ovulation or in its middle. This is due to the increase in the blood hormone progesterone, as well as prolactin. They, together with other biological substances in the blood of a woman, contribute to the retention of fluid and electrolytes, both in the whole body and in the mammary gland. As a result, there is pain, swelling, because of which the breast sometimes increases in volume.
Non-cyclic mastalgia
The second reason why the nipples on the female breast can hurt is mastalgia . This kind of disease is not related to hormonal fluctuations. It is caused by such pathologies as:
- inflammatory process;
- neoplasms;
- disruption of the pituitary system;
- dysfunction of the central and peripheral nervous system, etc.
Also often the pain in the nipples is the result of various kinds of psychological disorders (bad mood, experience, stress, and others). In addition, sometimes a girl, excruciating herself with the question: "Why do my nipples hurt?" Even does not suspect that this is a consequence of taking hormonal drugs, for example, contraceptives.
Pregnancy and lactemia
Often the pain in the nipples when touched, women complain during the current pregnancy, and a little less often during the breastfeeding period. These pains are caused by the proliferation and expansion of the dairy ducts in the gland. In addition, the presence of pain can sometimes be one of the signs of just begun pregnancy.
Quite often, young mothers incorrectly dispose of their baby during feeding, which results in a slight pain in the nipples. Also, at the beginning of the feeding, the newborn can incorrectly grip the chest, while pulling the nipple hard, which also causes painful sensations.
What to do?
If a girl first encounters such a common phenomenon as a pain in the nipples, then, as a rule, she does not know what it is necessary to do in this case. In such situations, the main role is played by diagnostics.
To begin with, it is necessary to find out if these pains are not cyclical in nature. If they appear and disappear, then most likely this is due to hormonal changes in the body. In such cases, no treatment is required, and the woman only has to wait until they pass through on their own.
Particular attention should be paid to those cases when, along with the painful sensations, the woman also notes the presence of secretions from the nipples . As a rule, they are the main symptom of a large number of diseases, the differentiation of which is carried out exclusively by a doctor.
Thus, the pain in the nipples can mean both the development of pathology in the body of a woman, and be a separate symptom of any complex disease. In any case, when they appear, a woman should be alerted and try to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible, who will, if necessary, prescribe a comprehensive treatment.