Breast pain is very common in women, and the most common problem for which women seek help, with something like 500,000-800,000 GP consultations each year. Indeed, it has been estimated that 40% of all women suffer from breast pain to some degree.
Breast pain can be associated with the menstrual cycle. It can occur as part of the premenstrual syndrome, in some cases lasting as long as two weeks in every four. Or it can have nothing to do with a woman’s menstrual cycle. In such cases the woman can have the pain continuously, feeling irritable and depressed as a result.
Typically, the breasts feel heavy and tender, with a lumpy, granular sort of texture.
In severe cases – about 15% of the total – breast pain can seriously affect a woman’s lifestyle. Women with breast pain hate to have their breasts touched. Breast pain can interfere with her work, prevent her from hugging her children or be hugged, and it can intrude on her sex life as she shies away from fondling.
Women with breast pain can suffer psychologically because of this. Here are some of the things women suffering from breast pain said: ‘You can’t bear anyone touching your clothes or anything’; T can’t sleep, I have to lie on my stomach’; ‘they hurt when I get up in the morning’; ‘it destroys your life’; ‘it affects your sex life – as soon as you see the hands coming for you, you back off!’; ‘even when you’re out shopping, you’re worried someone will bump into you’; ‘when I’m driving I wont wear seat belts’; ‘I hate keep saying to him “I’ve got it again”
Historically, women with breast pain were not taken seriously by doctors, but mow a more sensitive attitude is gaining ground. Breast pain is now treated as a medical condition, and no longer dismissed as a neurosis.
Many women who suffer from breast pain usually go to see their doctor because they fear breast cancer – although pain is rarely the presenting symptom of operable breast cancer In order to exclude cancer, such patients can be sent for further investigations, such as a clinical examination, fine needle cytology, or a mammogram-
However being reassured that they do not have cancer will not make the pain go away. Yet, until very recently, doctors’ have only had hormone-related drugs – with many side effects – to treat breast pain. Now, however, evening primrose oil is an effective alternative with none of the side effects.

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WOMEN’S HEALTH