Symptoms
Breast pain can manifest itself in a variety of ways, and it results from a number of causes. Often the pain is caused by fibrocystic changes, a hardening of thick fibrous tissue that supports the glands. The pain can also be caused by the formation of fluid-filled lumps, or cysts. Most of the time the pain indicates nothing serious, but there are a number of methods used to determine the cause of the pain.
Methods
The foremost method used by a doctor is a clinical, or physical, breast exam. The doctor will feel the breast for any bumps or irregularities that could explain the pain. Often, in older women, a mammogramor ultrasound is required in order to better examine the areas of pain and determine the cause. Finally, a breast biopsy can be performed, where tissue is taken and examined to determine the problem.
Diagnosis
Most of the time, breast pain indicates nothing more serious than hormonal changes brought about by puberty, menopause, pregnancy or menstruation. The pain could also be caused by the weight of large breasts, or it could be sustained from trauma from breast surgery. However, breast pain is also a symptom of fibrocystic breast disease, shingles, using certain medications like digoxin or oxymetholone, or infection. Finally, some victims of breast cancer complain of breast pain as one of their symptoms.
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