Diagnosed with Fibrocystic Breasts? Ease Your Discomfort with These Tips
If your gynecologist has diagnosed you with fibrocystic breasts, you may wonder if there's anything you can do to ease the pain and other symptoms you are experiencing, especially the pain and symptoms of menstruation. Fibrocystic breast tissue occurs most often in women between the ages of 20 and 50 years old. Although the condition creates painful lumps and cysts in the breasts, it's not the same thing as breast cancer, which requires a different sort of medical care to treat. With your doctor's help, you can learn to manage your fibrocystic-breast symptoms at home. Here are tips you can use to ease your symptoms now.
Go Braless at Night and Use Hot Compresses
If you tend to wear bras all the time, even when you sleep, you may want to give your breasts a rest at night. Although bras help support your breasts, the cups and straps of your bras may be too tight on your breasts when they become tender and thick from your condition. To ease your discomfort during these times, try sleeping without a bra at night. You can also go without a bra during the day if you feel comfortable doing so.
It's a good idea that you soothe your tender chest area with a hot compress to remove some of the inflammation in them. Heat can help ease the swelling in your breast tissue, which might make your pain worse. You might want to do this step right before bedtime to help you rest better. Some women alternate between hot and cold compresses, so keep this in mind during your home treatment.
Keep Your Caffeine and Salt Intake to a Minimum
You can also take steps to minimize your breast pain during the day. If you love to drink coffee or other caffeinated beverages, you may want to slow down. According to Cancer.org, some women reveal that they experience less discomfort in their breasts when they don't consume or drink caffeinated items, including chocolate. Although there is no scientific evidence that this helps, you may want to try reducing your caffeine intake to see if this works for you as well.
Salt is another food ingredient you may wish to consume less of when your breasts become painful and swollen. The swelling in your breasts tends to worsen near the end of your menstruation. Some professionals recommend avoiding salt to help ease such symptoms. If you have concerns about caffeine or salt, speak to your gynecologist about them.
For more tips on how to manage your fibrocystic breast pain and other symptoms, contact a gynecologist today.
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