Breast pain

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Definition

Breast pain (mastalgia) is a common type of discomfort among women — affecting 70 percent of women at some point in their lives.

Breast pain occurs more frequently in younger, premenopausal women, although women who are postmenopausal can experience breast pain, too. About one in 10 women experiences moderate to severe breast pain more than five days a month. In some cases, women have severe breast pain that lasts throughout their entire menstrual cycles. This can have a major impact on daily activities, such as work, family relations and sexual relationships.

Breast pain alone rarely signifies breast cancer. Still, if you have unexplained breast pain that's causing you to worry about breast cancer or otherwise disrupting your life, get checked by your doctor.

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