Breast pain

Date Updated: 09/10/2026

Overview

Breast pain, also called mastalgia, may be a feeling of aching, tenderness or throbbing in the breast. Or it may feel like stabbing or burning pain. The pain may be there all the time, it may last for just a short time, or it may come and go. Anyone can have breast pain.

Breast pain can be cyclic and noncyclic. Cyclic breast pain happens in a regular pattern. It's linked to menstrual cycles and changing hormone levels in people who menstruate. Noncyclic pain doesn't have a regular pattern and isn't linked to menstrual cycles.

In men, breast pain often can be caused by a condition called gynecomastia (guy-nuh-koh-MAS-tee-uh). In transgender men, pain may happen due to chest binding. Pain also might affect breast tissue that's left behind after gender-affirming chest surgery. In transgender women, gender-affirming hormone therapy might cause breast pain.

Typically, breast pain is due to a condition that is not cancer. It's not common for breast pain to be a symptom of breast cancer.

Symptoms

Cyclic and noncyclic are two types of breast pain that appear differently.

Cyclic breast pain

Linked to menstrual cycles and changing hormone levels during menstruation.
Often described as a dull, aching or burning pain or as a heaviness in the breast.
Often happens along with breast swelling, fullness or lumpiness.
Usually affects both breasts, especially the upper, outer part of the breast, and the pain may go into the underarm.
Typically gets worse during the week before a menstrual period starts, then gets better after that.
More likely to affect people in their 20s and 30s. It's less common after menopause.

Noncyclic breast pain

Not linked to menstrual cycles.
Often described as tight, burning, stabbing or aching pain.
Can come and go or may be there all the time.
Usually affects one breast in a specific area but may spread across the breast.

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your healthcare professional if breast pain:

Goes on every day for more than two weeks.
Happens in one specific area of the breast.
Seems to get worse over time.
Makes it hard for you to do your daily activities.
Wakens you from sleep.

Breast cancer risk is low in people whose main symptom is breast pain. But if your healthcare professional suggests that you have tests to check for breast cancer, it's important to get those tests.

Causes

Breast pain is common and can happen for many reasons, from normal hormone changes to conditions affecting the breast or nearby areas of the body.

Menstrual cycle

Changing hormones that happen during a menstrual cycle often cause cyclic breast pain. The pain typically starts during the week before the beginning of a period and goes away when the period starts.

Pregnancy

Breast tenderness and pain are common in the early stages of pregnancy.

Breast cysts

Changing hormone levels can cause changes in the milk ducts or milk glands within the breast. Those changes can cause breast cysts. Cysts are a common cause of cyclic breast pain. But sometimes, a cyst also may cause noncyclic breast pain.

Infection

An infection within the breast can lead to breast pain. A common type of breast infection is called mastitis. It often happens in people who are breastfeeding.

Breast injury

Some types of breast pain may be caused by trauma or other injury to the breast.

Medicines

Breast pain may be a side effect of some medicines, including:

Birth control pills.
Hormone therapies used for menopause and perimenopause.
Gender-affirming hormone therapy.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants.
Some medicines used to treat high blood pressure.
Some types of antibiotics.

Duct ectasia

This condition affects the milk ducts in the breast. It happens when one or more milk ducts beneath the nipple widen, thicken and fill with fluid. This can cause the ducts to become blocked or clogged and may lead to breast tenderness and pain.

Fatty acids

When the level of fatty acids in the body's cells is out of balance, that may affect the sensitivity of breast tissue to hormones and lead to breast pain.

Activity

Doing a lot of activity and movement without proper breast support can stretch the ligaments, called Cooper ligaments, that hold breast tissue in place. That can lead to deep, sharp, stabbing pain that may last for a short time and then go away.

Cancer

Although it's rare for cancer to cause breast pain, a type of cancer called inflammatory breast cancer may cause pain and tenderness throughout the breast.

Gynecomastia

In men, breast pain can be caused by gynecomastia. This condition causes a rise in the amount of breast gland tissue due to the hormones estrogen and testosterone being out of balance in the body. Gynecomastia can affect one or both breasts.

Chest binding

In transgender men, pain may happen due to chest binding.

A health concern in another part of the body

In some situations, pain in the breast is due to a health issue that happens in another part of the body. This is called extramammary breast pain. For example, pulling a muscle in the chest can cause pain in the chest wall or rib cage that spreads to the breast. Arthritis that affects the cartilage in the chest, a condition called costochondritis, also can lead to breast pain. Other examples of conditions that could lead to breast pain include shingles and a pinched nerve in the neck.

Risk factors

Factors that may raise the risk of breast pain include:

Breast size. People who have large breasts are at higher risk of breast pain. Neck, shoulder and back pain may happen along with breast pain that's due to large breasts.
Breast surgery. Breast pain caused by breast surgery and scars sometimes can last after surgical wounds have healed.
Smoking. Some research has shown that people who smoke are at higher risk of breast pain.

Prevention

Because breast pain has many possible causes, it isn't always possible to prevent it. But the following steps might help.

Wear a properly fitted bra, and wear a sports bra during exercise.
Don't lift large amounts of weight on a regular basis for a long time without using proper techniques and taking safety steps.
Don't smoke. If you need help stopping smoking, talk with your healthcare professional.
Eat a low-fat diet that includes complex carbohydrates. Some research has shown that a diet that's high in fat may be linked to breast pain.
Limit caffeine. Some people find that having less caffeine is helpful in avoiding breast pain. But studies of caffeine's effect on breast pain have not shown clear results.

Diagnosis

To diagnose breast pain, a healthcare professional first reviews your medical history and symptoms. Tests to assess breast pain may include:

Breast exam. Your healthcare professional will likely check for changes in your breasts. This involves examining your breasts and the lymph nodes in your lower neck and underarms.

Your healthcare professional also will likely listen to your heart and lungs and check your chest and belly to see whether the pain could be caused by another condition.

If your medical history and physical exam don't show anything out of the ordinary, you may not need more tests.
Ultrasound. An ultrasound exam uses sound waves to make images of the breasts. An ultrasound may be used to look at a specific area of pain. Ultrasound may be done along with a mammogram.
Mammogram. If your healthcare professional feels a breast lump or thickening in the breast that's not typical or detects a specific area of pain in the breast, you may need an X-ray exam of your breast that looks at the area of concern. This test is called a diagnostic mammogram.
Breast biopsy. If imaging exams show suspicious breast lumps, areas of thickening or other areas that are not typical, you may need a biopsy. During a biopsy, your healthcare professional takes a small sample of breast tissue from the area of concern and sends it to a lab for analysis.

Treatment

For many people, breast pain goes away on its own over time. You may not need any treatment.

If breast pain doesn't go away on its own and you need treatment, your healthcare professional might suggest that you:

Take steps to get rid of what could be causing the pain or making it worse. This may mean making a simple change, such as wearing a bra with extra support.
Use a pain reliever you can buy without a prescription, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others). Talk with your healthcare professional about how much to take. Long-term use may raise the risk of liver damage and other side effects.
Put a cream on the skin to help ease the pain. Creams that have medicines called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may help ease breast pain. They are available without a prescription. Before you try an NSAID cream, talk with your healthcare professional about which product to use.
Make changes to medicines. If breast pain could be a side effect of a medicine that you take, your healthcare professional may suggest lowering the dose or taking a different form of that medicine. Don't make any changes to your medicines before talking with your healthcare professional.
Take prescription medication. Prescription medicines may be used to treat intense breast pain or breast pain that lasts.

For example, tamoxifen is a medicine that has been shown to ease serious breast pain. But it might lead to side effects that are more bothersome than the breast pain. This includes a risk of blood clots and a higher risk of uterine cancer in people who are past menopause.

Another prescription medicine that can relieve breast pain is called danazol. But it carries the risk of potentially serious side effects, such as heart and liver conditions, as well as weight gain and voice changes.
Treatment for other health concerns. If a health issue happening in another part of the body is causing breast pain, treatment for that condition can often ease or stop the pain.

Alternative medicine

Some vitamins and dietary supplements have been studied for the treatment of breast pain, including evening primrose oil, vitamin E, vitamin B-1 and vitamin B-6. But research has shown limited or mixed results.

If you're interested in using a vitamin or dietary supplement for breast pain, talk with your healthcare professional first. Ask about the correct dose to take. Also ask about the risks, benefits and possible side effects.

If you try a vitamin or supplement for breast pain, stop taking it if your breast pain doesn't get better after a few months. Try only one at a time so that you know which one does or doesn't ease the pain.

Preparing for an appointment

You're likely to start by seeing your primary healthcare professional. But when you call to make an appointment, you may be referred to a breast health specialist.

What you can do

When you make the appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do beforehand, such as not eat or drink before a test.

To help your healthcare professional see whether your breast pain is cyclic or noncyclic, write down when you have breast pain and other symptoms and bring that information to your appointment.

Also, make a list of:

All your symptoms, including any that don't seem related to the reason for your appointment.
Key personal information, including major stresses, recent life changes and family medical history.
All medicines, vitamins and other supplements you take, including the doses.
Questions to ask your healthcare professional.

Take a family member or friend along, if possible, to help you remember the information you're given.

For breast pain, some basic questions to ask your healthcare professional include:

What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
What kinds of tests might I need?
What treatment do you recommend?
Are there any home remedies I might try?

What to expect from your doctor

Your healthcare professional may ask you questions such as:

Where in your breast do you feel pain?
How long have you had breast pain?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad is your pain?
Do you have pain in one or both breasts?
Does the pain seem to happen in any pattern?
Have you ever had a mammogram? When was your last one?
Do you have any other symptoms, such as a breast lump, area of thickening in the breast or nipple discharge?
Have you noticed any skin changes, such as a change in skin color or a rash?
Have you recently had a baby?
Have you recently had a pregnancy loss?
How does the pain affect your quality of life? For example, does it make it hard to work, sleep or have sex? Does the pain make it hard for you to do other daily activities?
Have you been involved in any activities or had a recent injury to your chest that might have caused the breast pain?

Your healthcare professional also may check your risk of breast cancer based on factors such as your age and your personal and family medical history.