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Why Your Boobs Feel Like Sandbags
After ovulation — which happens about midway through your menstrual cycle, or two weeks after your period — the hormone progesterone starts to rise.
Around day 21 of a standard, 28-day cycle, progesterone peaks, and as
Rebecca Brightman, an ob-gyn in New York City explained, one of the rude
symptoms of progesterone is that it can cause the ducts in your breasts
to expand. Progesterone can also cause increased water retention. So
between expanded breast ducts and water retention in the breast (and all
over your bod), it's very normal for your boobs to feel heavy and
painful before your period.
Brightman said that when this happens varies a lot from woman to woman, and even from month to month. "Some women say, two weeks before I get my period, I'm dying," Brightman said. "Other people say, a couple days before, I'm really uncomfortable."
It's a full spectrum of breast experience. Some women may feel their
breasts are dense, full, and swollen a week or two before their period,
others may just feel immense pain a few days before — it can be
anything. And the symptoms you experience one month may not be the
symptoms you experience the next month. Why? Because hormone levels are
always fluctuating. One menstrual cycle may produce more progesterone
than another, resulting in different types of boob agony.
What Isn't Normal
Normal
period boob pain radiates evenly throughout both breasts. You can also
expect nipples to be sore or extra tender, and swelling should be equal
among your breasts as well. Basically, you want equal opportunity boob
misery. Aside from that, the spectrum of period boobs is expansive. It's
normal to have dense, heavy breasts that don't feel painful, and it's
normal to have regular sized boobs that hurt like crazy. Even a bit of
lumpiness — which is typically alarming — is to be expected in the week
or two leading up to your period. The thing you're really looking for is
both boobs feel the same way, and the symptoms subside when your period
starts.
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abnormal is for the pain to persist long past the start of your period,
or for one boob to hurt and the other to be totally fine. Brightman said
uneven swelling is to be expected — no two boobs are the same size! But
one-sided breast pain can be indicative
of a cyst or other types of benign lumps like infections or a bruise.
"Cancer, which is everyone's fear, would be extremely rare," she said.
As far as lumps go, those should also go away within the first few days
of your period. If you're in the habit of doing regular, at-home breast
exams, feel to make sure those are gone once your period is over. If any
lumps persist, it doesn't hurt to see your doctor.
Breast pain isn't a common symptom of breast cancer,
but there are a few things to look out for. Brightman said to watch for
pain associated with a lump in only one breast, pain that persists
after your period is over, or uneven swelling or pain. If any of those
things are happening to you, or if you just feel your breast pain is
severe or causing an inordinate amount of discomfort, talk to your
doctor.
For some women,
breast pain and swelling is the first sign of pregnancy. If your period
is particularly late and your boobs are killing you, persistent boob
pain may be an early sign of pregnancy.
How you can (sorta) fix things
Though
this sounds counterintuitive because bras are basically small prison
cells for your boobs, Brightman said a lot of women find significant
pain relief from wearing a really supportive bra — even a sports bra
that really holds things in place. All that jostling and motion may only
be making you painfully more aware of your boobs, which, if they're
already throbbing, is a bad thing. Some of Brightman's patients even
find that sleeping in a bra (sacrilege!) brings significant relief to their period boobs.
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All
the other remedies are also anecdotal, so really it's just about
finding something that works for you. Some women find out that cutting
out caffeine reduces breast pain, and others find that taking vitamin E,
B6 supplements or evening primrose oil
is the true cure. For some, it's as simple as popping a couple of
ibuprofen or acetaminophen pills as if the breast pain is just another
headache (which, honestly, it really is). The only thing Brightman
wouldn't recommend for calming down your swollen boobies is taking a
diuretic, or some sort of water pill — they can cause dehydration, and
shouldn't be relied upon.
This
particular period symptom is really annoying because it's so
unpredictable. Some months your boobs may be tiny angels that don't
cause you a single problem, and other months they could be the bane of
your womanly existence. The best thing to know, really, is that you're
far from alone in the urge to hold your boobs to your chest every time
you walk down the stairs for a week out of every month. Just like our
big, swollen period boobs squished together in a restrictive sports bra,
we're all in this together.
More from Redbook
- Dax Shepard Calls Wife Kristen Bell's Boobs "Life Sources"
- This Is How Your Boobs Will Change Throughout Your Lifetime
- 6 Major Ways Your Boobs Change After Breastfeeding
