Definition
Breast swelling is a common and often harmless manifestation. In most cases, in fact, it is due to the physiological hormonal changes that occur in association with puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause or taking hormonal contraceptives. However, if the swelling of the breast manifests itself with other symptoms, it may indicate the presence of a pathological condition.
In particular, this manifestation can be found in the case of mastitis, which is a painful inflammation of the mammary gland, usually accompanied by infection. This inflammatory process appears mainly in the puerperium, during breastfeeding, and is favored by the presence of cuts or fissures on the nipples. Other breast infections are extremely rare, but may be favored by penetrating trauma or breast surgery.
The swelling of the breast can also appear in the case of galactocele (cysts composed of milk, inflammatory exudates and other substances, which is formed in the thickness of the mammary gland during lactation), ductal ectasia (affection of the ducts characteristic of the pre age -menopausal) and necrosis of mammary fat.
This symptom may also be associated with the presence of fibrocystic changes, benign nodules or malignant tumor masses (breast cancer).
A swollen and significantly reddened breast - taken from: theibcnetwork.org
Possible Causes * of Swelling of the Breast
- Breast cancer
- Pregnancy
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Mastitis
- Menopause
- Premenstrual syndrome
