I was pregnant and my breasts did not hurt. Causes of chest pain during pregnancy and methods for their elimination
Often women notice some changes in their body even before the test. One of the first “bells” is breasts during pregnancy, which swell, hurt or become too sensitive. Some people attribute this to premenstrual syndrome, when in fact the life of the unborn baby begins to develop.
Rapid hormonal changes quickly make themselves felt, so even at the beginning of pregnancy, a woman’s breasts undergo the first changes. It is important to understand which condition is considered normal and which one should be feared.
Typically, a pregnant woman's breasts increase in size and painful sensations appear. Increased sensitivity is noted. The color of the halos and nipples becomes different. Often, because the breasts swell, vascular networks appear.
With an ectopic pregnancy, the same changes in the breast are observed as with a normal one.
Due to the fact that the mammary glands enlarge, they appear. Rapid growth is observed in the first trimester, and then closer to childbirth. Breasts may increase several sizes. If the skin is not elastic enough, the appearance of stretch marks cannot be avoided.
But nowadays this is not a problem - there are many safe oils that can be used.
Norm
Each person is individual. Therefore, you should not think that everyone’s breasts “behave” the same during pregnancy. The period when changes begin is also different for everyone. In some expectant mothers, already at 11 weeks, the mammary glands look the same as others only during lactation.
Expectant mothers are wondering whether one breast can hurt during pregnancy. Doctors answer that such a phenomenon is not a cause for concern.
Major changes
Increase . Intensive growth of the mammary glands is something that happens to everyone, as the body prepares for motherhood and feeding. Already in the first month, women clearly notice how their breasts swell during pregnancy.
If rapid growth occurred during the gestation period, then after childbirth nothing will change, or only slightly. Do not worry if your breasts do not enlarge during pregnancy - sometimes the process begins only in the sixth or seventh month.
Estrogens stimulate the growth of the milk ducts, and glandular tissue grows due to progesterone. Connective tissue also grows, and after the end of feeding it is converted into fat.
Increased sensitivity. Women note that they experience discomfort. Some people simply have increased sensitivity, while the majority note that their breasts hurt during pregnancy. She fills up and becomes tense. This always indicates active preparation for breastfeeding and is the first sign of an interesting situation. Sometimes such sensations occur even before a missed period.
Changing nipples. Among the first signs of pregnancy is not only an increase in size. The nipples change in color and shape. They become larger, and pimples appear around them. The area around the nipple and it itself darken. Blood vessels begin to appear. After childbirth, these manifestations disappear.
Isolation of colostrum. The appearance of a thick, sticky yellow mass from the breasts of pregnant women is a necessary stage before the appearance of milk. Colostrum contains even more vitamins and antibodies than milk. This is the first food from which the baby will receive the most beneficial substances.
Stretch marks. Even if your breasts are small, this does not mean that stretch marks are guaranteed. It can increase by several sizes, which will certainly lead to stretch marks. It's not about the volume of the breasts, but about the elasticity of the skin. If sufficient collagen is present, the risk of stretch marks is low.
Some note that the breasts after pregnancy are covered with dark purple stripes - this is a consequence of damage to the blood vessels. With proper care, you can avoid the appearance of bright stretch marks and quickly return your breasts to their normal appearance. It is important to start even before the moment when a woman feels that her skin is itching.
What is considered a dangerous signal?
Typically, women begin to panic when, over time, their breasts do not enlarge during pregnancy and remain soft to the touch. This does not always mean that it is worth raising the alarm, but the expectant mother needs to listen to her body and other dangerous symptoms.
When registering, ideally at week 9, you need to listen to your feelings and tell your doctor about them.
Causes for concern:
- appearance ;
- the appearance of blood from the vagina;
- asymmetric breast enlargement, presence of depressions or swellings;
- a sharp increase in temperature;
- general malaise.
If one or more of the listed symptoms appears, you should immediately consult a doctor. You need to pay close attention to your body if your breasts have fallen and returned to their previous size. It happens that the mammary gland has decreased by another - in the midst of preparing the body for lactation.
In the event that the breasts do not hurt during pregnancy, the gynecologist may raise the question of a frozen pregnancy or about. It happens that the chest “burns”. Perhaps this is a manifestation of mastopathy - inflammation of the breast, which causes fibrous changes and discharge. If at least one - left or right - breast becomes hot, you need to see a gynecologist.
When do changes begin and how long do they last?
Expectant mothers are interested not only in what their breasts become during pregnancy, but also at what time they will stop changing. It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. A woman's body can react to the release of hormones in different ways. Some have noticed that their breasts hurt during pregnancy throughout the entire period. And this is the norm.
Other women say that the breasts did not show themselves in the first weeks of pregnancy and throughout the entire period of gestation. But this does not mean that there is a malfunction in the body.
Is it normal if a woman does not feel breast pain during pregnancy? Perhaps she initially has more space for the growth of glandular tissue. Therefore, the growth has not become as pronounced. Women often note that the most unpleasant sensations occur in the early stages and that all symptoms go away by the 14th week. The tissues adapt to the surges in hormone levels and it becomes easier.
Experts note that in most cases, already at week 10, there comes a time when a significant part of the changes in the breasts have occurred. This does not mean that the process is complete, it is just that it is gradually declining. Don’t worry if your breasts stop hurting during pregnancy at about 12 weeks. Most likely, the time has come when the body has completed the first stage of preparation for the birth of a child.
It is important that the expectant mother remembers her individuality and does not listen to her friends who are pregnant or giving birth. You should not compare and look for “alarm signals” in yourself. It is wrong to ask your friends when breast pain stops during pregnancy, because there will not be a single answer. For some, already at 5 weeks the first signs of preparing the mammary glands for feeding recede.
An expectant mother may stop experiencing breast pain at 7 weeks or much later - all of these are normal options. However, if you are tormented by suspicions, it is better to consult a doctor and not worry in vain.
Useful video about preparing your breasts for feeding your baby
I like!
Maria Sokolova
Reading time: 5 minutes
A A
The expectant mother, as a rule, notices new sensations in the chest even before she learns about the new status. Breast tenderness is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy due to dramatic changes in the body after conception. The breasts enlarge, swell, their sensitivity increases and the usual color of the nipples darkens.
Is breast tenderness during pregnancy considered normal, what are the reasons, and how to reduce pain ?
When do pregnant women start to feel breast pain?
Of course, there are exceptions, but during pregnancy Almost all expectant mothers begin to feel breast pain , so there is no need to panic.
The level of sensation directly depends on the body : some people have constant pain and even itching, others have a venous network, and for others the chest becomes so heavy that even sleeping on their stomach becomes impossible.
What does medicine say?
- Breast pain may appear soon after conception. Physiologically, this is easily explained and is not considered a pathology.
- The disappearance of such pain usually occurs by the beginning of the 2nd trimester when the process of preparing the mammary glands for feeding is completed.
- Sometimes your breasts may hurt until labor begins. This option is also not considered a pathology and is explained only by the individual characteristics of the mother’s body. Although the condition is not normal (consulting a doctor would not hurt).
- Of the frequent manifestations of such pain You can note aching sensations in the chest, itching, burning of the nipples, increased breast sensitivity in the morning.
Why do pregnant women have breast pain?
Of course, given the low awareness of such conditions, Mom is alarmed and frightened by painful sensations . Especially if the baby is the first, and the mother is not yet familiar with all the “delights” of pregnancy.
Therefore, it would not be superfluous to find out about reasons for such pain:
- Powerful hormonal changes during pregnancy has a direct effect on the mammary glands. In mothers giving birth for the first time, they are poorly developed milk lobules with the rudiments of glandular tissue (responsible for the production of breast milk). The remaining (main) volume of the breast is made up of muscles, skin, as well as connective tissue and subcutaneous fat.
- When characteristic of pregnancy increase in prolactin and progesterone levels the maturation of glandular tissue cells in the mammary glands is stimulated: increasing in volume, it becomes similar to a grape brush, where the milky passages are “twigs” through which the milk produced by the tissue flows.
- Growth of milky lobes leads to stretching of the connective tissue and skin, which causes a feeling of fullness and painful pressure in the chest. The sensations become aggravated by touching and (even more so) by accidental blows, and they are more pronounced during primary pregnancy.
- The consequence of an increase in prolactin levels is increased sensitivity of the skin of the nipple itself and its foundations.
- During lactation Oxytocin also increases (a hormone that regulates it) - this also contributes to the appearance of pain.
- The level of gonadotropin also increases in the blood , which has a direct effect on the mammary glands of the expectant mother.
You can alleviate suffering using the following recommendations:
- Regularly do light breast massage (from the second middle of pregnancy, be careful with this massage so as not to provoke premature birth). For example, rubbing the chest with a hard terry towel soaked in cool water (3-5 minutes). Or a contrast shower.
- Tempering the chest and more often we arrange water/air baths for her to prevent lactation mastitis.
- We don’t give up the joy of morning exercises. Naturally, we choose special exercises for expectant mothers. They will help you stay in good shape and reduce the level of pain.
- Choosing the right and high-quality underwear for pregnant women (since 1 week). No pitting, extra seams, or excessive finishing. The material is exclusively natural (cotton), the size is so that the bra is not tight and at the same time perfectly supports the breasts, the straps are wide. At night you can sleep right in it, taking it off for a few morning hours to normalize blood circulation.
- Regularly wash your breasts with warm water , giving up popular hygiene products (they dry out the skin).
- We periodically consult with a gynecologist and mammologist.
- We tune in only to positive emotions.
A daily breast care ritual will help not only reduce pain , but also properly prepare your breasts for feeding , and reduce the risk of developing mastopathy .
Have you long dreamed of becoming a mother, so you listen very sensitively to your body? Is there a delay in the menstrual cycle, but the body does not signal conception? Are you experiencing chest pain while pregnant? No need to worry! Let's figure out when breast pain starts to hurt during pregnancy and why this happens.
Chest pain as a sign of pregnancy
At the beginning of pregnancy, a number of changes begin to occur in a woman's body. The subjective sensations that you observe during this period themselves indicate an interesting situation. Women's breasts react especially sensitively to hormonal changes in the body.
The first signs of pregnancy:
- nausea. If you experience nausea at the beginning of pregnancy, read the current article Nausea during pregnancy >>>;
- fatigue;
- irritability;
- pain in the mammary glands;
- an increase or, conversely, a decrease in appetite (the book Secrets of Proper Nutrition for an Expectant Mother >>> will tell you how to eat properly during this important period for any woman);
- nagging pain below.
Important! Swelling, heaviness, tingling and other types of pain can be present in both one and two mammary glands.
But the opposite situation can also happen. The fact that you are pregnant will be indicated by the absence of the usual pain before the start of the menstrual cycle.
Causes of chest pain
When your breasts begin to hurt during pregnancy, you shouldn’t immediately worry and run to the hospital. Let's look at why this happens:
- The main cause of chest pain is the preparation of the female body for feeding a child. Even during pregnancy, high levels of hCG stimulate an increase in the size of the mammary glands and the changes occurring in it;
- You may experience pain due to improperly selected clothing. When choosing underwear, you should pay special attention to the choice of bra. The mammary glands should not be compressed, so it is recommended to purchase new, more comfortable sets.
How long do breasts hurt during pregnancy?
A few days before your period, you probably experienced mild pain, which disappeared a couple of days after the start of your period. Even if these expectations are familiar to you, during pregnancy they take on a slightly different character.
There is a misconception that breast pain during pregnancy is similar to menstruation. After fertilization of the egg, the discomfort is of a bursting nature, creating a feeling of filling the mammary glands from the inside.
Do everyone's breasts hurt the same during pregnancy? Not at all, sometimes the sensations can become tingling or radiate to the armpit area.
Do breasts always hurt during pregnancy?
- To the questions: “Do breasts always hurt during pregnancy?”, “Does breast pain in the early stages of pregnancy differ from sensations in later stages?” there is no clear answer because each organism is unique;
- There is no clear timing for the onset of discomfort in the chest area;
All changes in a pregnant woman’s body occur individually, pain in the mammary glands is no exception. From the personal experience of pregnant women, it was recorded: the greater the weight of the expectant mother, the higher the likelihood of discomfort in the chest.
- You may experience pain immediately after fertilization, i.e. a few weeks before the expected date of the onset of menstruation or a month after conception. On average, women experience discomfort at 6-7 weeks of pregnancy. More information about what happens at the very beginning of pregnancy is written in the article 1st trimester of pregnancy >>>
Important! Most often, by the end of the first trimester, health returns to normal. If your chest pain doesn't go away, don't worry! It is considered normal if discomfort persists until childbirth.
Do breasts hurt during frozen and ectopic pregnancy?
If you suspect problems with your pregnancy, then, first of all, you should listen more carefully to your body. First, let’s answer the question: “Do the breasts hurt during a frozen pregnancy?”
The death of the fetus is accompanied by a malfunction in the woman’s body. If during the normal course of pregnancy your mammary glands were very sensitive, reacted to any touch, and hurt, then the frozen development of the embryo affects them in the opposite way: the discharge intensifies, the breasts become coarser.
Important! During a frozen pregnancy, the mammary glands lose sensitivity and all pain will disappear. Such metamorphoses occur not only at the initial stages of gestation, but also at its final stages.
Due to hormonal changes in a woman’s breasts, painful sensations occur. Ectopic pregnancy is a pathology associated with the development of the fetus outside the uterine cavity. Normal pregnancy and childbirth are impossible in such a situation. However, the processes occurring in the mammary glands correspond to normal pregnancy.
Chest pain at the beginning of pregnancy does not make girls happy and does not give them positive emotions. Due to poor health, the fetus also suffers, which subtly senses the mother’s mood. But when the breasts stop hurting, women often also experience anxiety, coming up with negative reasons for such changes. To eliminate uncertainty in this matter, it is necessary to understand the causes and duration of pain in the female breast.
Pain in the mammary glands does not always accompany pregnancy. Primiparas whose breasts are not prepared for the lactation period are most susceptible to them. To produce milk, breast tissue must increase in weight and volume by 2-3 times in 9 months. It is the intense enlargement of the mammary glands that is the main factor in the chain of causes of pain.
Each subsequent pregnancy, theoretically, should be characterized by a decrease in the intensity of chest pain, but this does not always happen. There are cases when first-time women with small breasts do not have breast pain at all, but there are situations when, during the third pregnancy and a large bust, the pain bothers the woman for all 9 months.
- breast tenderness;
- hormonal background;
- growth activity of glandular tissue and accumulation of fat in the mammary glands.
Unpleasant sensations are not necessarily painful. A woman may feel tingling, burning, or a feeling of stretching somewhere in the chest. All these symptoms in most cases are not dangerous and are not subject to drug therapy.
