Many women can experience breast swelling pain when their breasts are engorged. It is very typical for women who are just beginning to breast feed to have symptoms of swelling. In the few hours after delivering the baby the brain starts to produce a chemical called prolactin. This hormone start the milk production in the breasts. A few days later after delivery breasts swelling and engorgement occurs as the milk becomes available for the children to take in. The fullness and engorgement is relieved by having the child nurse.

Some times that breasts swelling and engorgement needs to be relieved by a means other than the child. This when some women use a breast pump in order to get the milk out of the breasts. Breast pumps will extract the milk out of the breasts and relieve the engorgement. If the breasts are too full the will be painful and can stop producing milk. So the breast pumps prevent the woman from losing her milk production. Also, the milk can then be supplied to the baby using a bottle to provide sustenance for the neonate.

Breast swelling tenderness can be cause by other things than engorgement. For women who are not breast feeding, they should try to investigate other causes. One of the most common problems is a bacteria infection called mastitis. Both lactating women and non breast feeding women can have a mastitis. This is a bacterial infection of the nipple or breast. Usually it is caused by irritation of the tissue that then allows a bacteria to get into the tissue. The bacteria can then set up shop and start to produce inflammation and an established infection. In some cases, an abscess full of pus can be formed. This will have to be drained in order to allow the woman to get better. The woman will then be given antibiotics after the procedure in order to limit any spread of the bacteria and get rid of any remaining disease.

There are many other causes of breast swelling tenderness. A lot of times women start to have some swelling around the time of their menstrual cycle. The hormones that are produced during the menstrual cycle can have effects on the breast tissue. The breasts are very hormone receptive and during the ovulation and luteal phase of the cycle they can become more tender and respond by enlarging slightly. Many women can also retain water at this time and can feel bloated and swollen. This all will resolve itself during the menses. It they do not, it would be a good idea to see a health care professional to see if there are other issues going on with the woman’s health. Breast pain can sometimes be an indicator of an inflammatory state and could be a clue to an underlying illness. There are also certain cancers and medical diseases that may manifest through swelling and engorgement of the breast. So women should be sure to evaluate their breast swelling pain to maintain their health and wellness.