Benign breast conditions

Sanya is used to having breast pain just before her periods every month. But for the past three months, the pain seems to be persisting throughout the cycle. She examined herself and felt that her breasts were lumpy. Does she need to worry?

Sanya probably has fibrocystic changes, which are a benign (non-cancerous) condition. There are many non-cancerous conditions of the breast which can cause discomfort and problems for women. These are collectively called benign breast disease.

What is benign breast disease?

Many women suffer from problems in the breast which are not cancerous. When a woman has a problem related to the breast, she automatically assumes that it is a cancer. Fortunately, over 90% of breast complaints are due to benign breast disease.

Fibrocystic disease or changes:

Fibrocystic breast disease (now referred to as fibrocystic changes or fibrocystic breast condition), is the most common cause of ‘lumpy breasts’ in women and affects more than 60% of women. Women will usually feel pain and lumpiness over the breasts, particularly just before and during the periods. The condition primarily affects women between the ages of 30 and 50 and usually subsides after menopause.

The condition can vary widely in its severity. Some women may only have pain and lumpiness just before the period while others may have pain and tenderness throughout the cycle. On examination, some women may be found to have nodules and lumps in both breasts at any time of the cycle whereas some women may have the lumps just before and during the periods.

Every month, two hormones- oestrogen and progesterone- are produced in a menstruating woman. Similar to their effect on the uterus, these hormones have an effect on the breasts. They stimulate the milk glands. When there is no pregnancy in that cycle, the effect of the hormones wears off. This results in the breakdown of breast cells. Unfortunately, the action of these hormones month after month can cause damage to the breast tissue resulting in scarring (fibrosis). The amount of damage can vary from woman to woman and from month to month. This scarring results in fibrocystic changes.