Self Care Articles

Is this your child's symptom?

• Breast symptoms in an older girl or teen
• Breast development (and puberty) has begun or is completed

Symptoms included in this guide are:

• Breast pain (most common complaint)
• Breast lump
• Breast size, shape or symmetry questions
• Redness of breast
• Nipple discharge

Causes of Breast Symptoms

• Breast lump: fibroadenoma, cyst. See Breast Lump details below
• Nipple discharge: milk, blood, pus, clear fluid
• Acute breast pain with redness (only on 1 side): often an infection.
• Acute breast pain and fullness without redness (same on both sides): always consider pregnancy
• Recurrent breast pain with menstrual periods: cyclic mastalgia. See details below.
• Chronic breast pain, unrelated to menstrual period and usually just one side: fibroadenoma, cyst. Marijuana use can cause breast pain.

Premenstrual Breast Pain and Swelling

• Main Symptom: breast fullness and pain.
• Cause: extra body fluid from female hormone cycles.
• Other symptoms: headache, swollen feet (edema).
• Timing: mainly noticed in the week prior to menstrual periods.
• Course: improves during menstrual period and goes away between menstrual periods.
• Physical Findings: fullness that can be felt throughout both breasts.
• Onset: usually 2 years after onset of periods (with onset of ovulation). Similar onset as for menstrual cramps.
• Frequency: 10% of teens and 50% of adult women.
• Treatment: mainly ibuprofen and support bra. If breast pain can't be controlled with ibuprofen, 80% can be improved by birth control pills.
• Other treatments: daily exercise and getting enough sleep.

Breast Lumps in Adolescents: Causes

• Breast masses in teens are almost always benign (not cancer).
• Breast cancer is very rare in teens (2 cases per million in young women)
• Fibroadenoma: most breast masses in teens are fibroadenomas. They are 1 inch (2.5 cm) oval or round, rubbery, non-tender mass. Most often in upper-outer quadrant of breast. Not associated with breast cancer. Natural course: 50% go away within 5 years, others need removal.
• Juvenile fibroadenomas: breast masses that are larger than 2 inches (5 cm) in size. Benign, but need to be removed by surgery.
• Breast cysts
• Breast abscess: this is a red, painful lump. Main cause is Staph bacteria. Main triggers are nipple injury, nipple piercing or lactation (producing breast milk). Needs oral antibiotics and needle removal of the pus.
• Breast collections of blood (hematomas) from injury: may take weeks or months to resolve.