Is it normal to have breast pain in the late stages of pregnancy?

Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
Updated on March 14, 2025
00:00
00:00

In the later stages of pregnancy, it is normal for pregnant women to experience breast pain. This occurs because, in the late stages of pregnancy, levels of estrogen and progesterone increase. Under the combined influence of these hormones, the mammary glands become congested and swollen, further proliferate, and the mammary ducts expand, leading to breast pain. This condition prepares the body for breastfeeding after childbirth. When breast pain occurs, one can use a hot towel to apply heat to the breasts to alleviate the pain. Additionally, it is important to choose comfortable bras daily, avoiding those that are too tight or small, as they can cause compression on the breasts.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Sun Shan Shan
Obstetrics and Gynecology
47sec home-news-image

Is breast swelling and pain before menstruation a sign of pregnancy?

Breast tenderness before menstruation is not necessarily a sign of pregnancy. Elevated levels of estrogen and progesterone before menstruation can also cause breast tenderness, as can the early stages of pregnancy. Therefore, if women of childbearing age experience a delay in menstruation and breast tenderness, they should promptly take a urine pregnancy test and, if necessary, have a blood HCG test to check for pregnancy. If pregnancy is not the case, they should wait to see if menstruation occurs. It is advisable to avoid getting cold, refrain from eating spicy and irritating foods, and maintain cleanliness of the external genitalia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wu Shi Ting
Breast Health Department
46sec home-news-image

Is breast swelling and pain a sign of pregnancy?

After pregnancy, due to the influence of estrogen and progesterone, most women experience breast tenderness. However, not all breast tenderness is caused by pregnancy. There are many causes of breast tenderness. For example, some women experience mild cyclic breast tenderness with menstrual cycle changes, which is often physiological. There are also some diseases, such as common breast hyperplasia, that can cause breast tenderness. Of course, some benign or malignant tumors in the breast can also cause tenderness. Therefore, it is recommended that patients with breast tenderness seek timely medical examination at a hospital.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
49sec home-news-image

Breast swelling and pain, increased vaginal discharge, does it mean that menstruation is coming?

Breast swelling and pain, increased vaginal discharge, it might be that menstruation is coming. Breast swelling and pain are generally manifestations of mammary gland hyperplasia. The symptoms of mammary gland hyperplasia typically include cyclical breast swelling and pain, which often appear or worsen before menstruation and subside or disappear after menstruation. Some patients do not experience obvious cyclical changes; some may have swelling and needle-like pain in one or both breasts, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or chest and back areas. A few patients might have nipple discharge; the discharge can be yellow, brown, or bloody. The disease course can sometimes be long, but symptoms often disappear or lessen after menopause.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Huo Ze Jun
Traditional Chinese Medicine
1min 24sec home-news-image

What position should be scraped for breast distension pain?

Breast pain should first undergo a clear diagnosis to determine the cause. If it is simply caused by breast hyperplasia, gua sha can be used for treatment. The location of the breasts is generally on the stomach meridian or the liver and gallbladder meridians. For specific treatment acupoint selection, you can choose the Jianjing acupoint, which is located between the Dazhui acupoint and the shoulder peak, i.e., between the high point behind the neck and the shoulders. Pressing this area will produce a distinct sore and swollen feeling, and gua sha can be used to treat this area. Additionally, gua sha can be performed on the opposite side or the corresponding back side, where the pain points of the breasts are located at the corresponding positions on the back side, which has a good analgesic effect. Furthermore, distant points can be chosen. If the person tends to be irritable or impatient, gua sha can be performed between the first and second toes at the Taichong acupoint. Also, gua sha can be performed at the Danzhong acupoint located between the two breasts. Another point is the Waiguan acupoint, located between the transverse wrist crease and the elbow crease on the dorsal side of the forearm, about two inches from the wrist transverse crease. This point also has a good analgesic effect for breast pain caused by breast hyperplasia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhao Li Li
Obstetrics
40sec home-news-image

What should I do if my breasts are swollen and painful and I can't pump milk out?

If breast pain has already occurred, it is still necessary to actively treat the symptoms. Normally, if the milk cannot be completely extracted after stimulation, it is possible that a blockage in the milk ducts may be occurring. It is generally recommended to apply local heat and massage to the breasts before pumping. These treatments can effectively promote local blood circulation and help the milk ducts to clear, facilitating the complete extraction of milk. If there is continuous non-discharge of milk causing local breast swelling, it's necessary to consider the possibility of mastitis and seek medical advice promptly to receive appropriate treatment.