What are the symptoms of mammary gland hyperplasia?

Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
Updated on June 19, 2025
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Breast hyperplasia primarily manifests as cyclic swelling and pain in the breasts, often appearing or worsening before menstruation and diminishing or disappearing after menstruation. Mild cases may go unnoticed by patients, while severe cases can affect daily life and work. However, some patients do not exhibit obvious cyclic changes. Symptoms may include unilateral or bilateral breast tenderness or needle-like pain, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or chest and back areas. A few patients may experience nipple discharge, and the condition can sometimes persist for a long duration, but symptoms typically disappear or lessen after menopause. During physical examination, nodular lumps of varying sizes can be felt within one or both breasts. These lumps are firm but not hard, sometimes tender to touch, and the boundaries between the lump and surrounding breast tissue are not distinct. There is no adhesion to the skin or chest muscles, and sometimes the area may appear as an indistinctly bordered thickened zone.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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Is breast hyperplasia okay?

Breast hyperplasia generally is not problematic, typically presenting as cyclical breast pain and swelling that appears before menstruation and may disappear afterwards. Mild cases often go unnoticed by patients, but severe cases can impact daily life and work. Some patients do not show obvious cyclical changes; instead, they may experience unilateral breast pain, swelling, or stabbing pain, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or back. A few patients might experience nipple discharge, such as yellow, brown, serous, or bloody discharge.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
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How to treat nodular hyperplasia of the breast?

According to different pathological types, clinically, there are simple hyperplasia of the breast and cystic hyperplasia of the breast, and the treatment methods are different. For simple breast hyperplasia: If the patient has no symptoms such as pain, medication treatment can be considered unnecessary. Maintaining a regular lifestyle, relaxing, and eating less high-fat food and fewer caffeine-containing beverages are beneficial. If the pain affects normal life and work, timely treatment is needed to alleviate the pain. Surgery is generally not recommended unless the hyperplastic lumps cannot be ruled out for malignant transformation. For the treatment of cystic breast hyperplasia: If the cyst is small and the symptoms are mild, endocrine treatment can be carried out; if the cyst is large, has symptoms of compression, or if ultrasound suggests thickening of the cyst wall, rich blood supply, or intra-cystic tumors, or if the patient worries about cancer transformation causing significant mental stress, surgical treatment can be considered.

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Written by Fan Hong Qiao
Breast Health Department
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Can hyperplasia of mammary glands be completely cured?

Generally speaking, breast hyperplasia can be cured. Do not be afraid if you have breast hyperplasia, although the duration and methods of treatment vary depending on the degree of breast hyperplasia. Simple breast hyperplasia, which often occurs in young women, primarily manifests as breast pain that varies with the menstrual cycle. This is considered a normal physiological state. Managing emotions and living a regular life can naturally alleviate the symptoms. However, as long as any type of breast hyperplasia is treated promptly with the correct approach, and treatment is adhered to consistently with regular follow-ups, it is quite easy to cure.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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How to regulate mammary gland hyperplasia

For symptoms that are not severe or are mild, most do not require treatment, but regular re-examination of breast ultrasonography or mammography is necessary. For more pronounced symptoms, medication and symptomatic treatment can be used as follows: Bras can be used to support the breasts, and traditional Chinese medicine can be used to treat breast hyperplasia by smoothing the liver, regulating Qi, and harmonizing the Conception and Governing Vessels. Endocrine treatment can also be used, though it should be avoided as much as possible. However, for premenopausal women with severe pain, it can be taken before the onset of menstruation. When undergoing endocrine treatment, regular pelvic ultrasound examinations are required, as endocrine treatment may increase the risk of endometrial cancer. Vitamin treatment, such as with Vitamins B, C, and E, can improve liver function, regulate sex hormone metabolism, and enhance autonomic nervous function, and can be used as an adjunctive therapy for this condition.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
1min 6sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of mammary gland hyperplasia?

Breast hyperplasia primarily manifests as cyclic swelling and pain in the breasts, often appearing or worsening before menstruation and diminishing or disappearing after menstruation. Mild cases may go unnoticed by patients, while severe cases can affect daily life and work. However, some patients do not exhibit obvious cyclic changes. Symptoms may include unilateral or bilateral breast tenderness or needle-like pain, which can extend to the shoulders, upper limbs, or chest and back areas. A few patients may experience nipple discharge, and the condition can sometimes persist for a long duration, but symptoms typically disappear or lessen after menopause. During physical examination, nodular lumps of varying sizes can be felt within one or both breasts. These lumps are firm but not hard, sometimes tender to touch, and the boundaries between the lump and surrounding breast tissue are not distinct. There is no adhesion to the skin or chest muscles, and sometimes the area may appear as an indistinctly bordered thickened zone.