When breasts hurt: hormonal mastodynia
Cramps, tightness, tension... Having breast pain before your period is almost a convention. In medical jargon, we speak of “hormonal mastodynia”. It hurts during the luteal phase , and it relaxes when the period arrives. No need to worry, but absolutely no reason to complain (which in no way excludes regular breast checks). But how can you reduce pain without a pill every 4 hours?
Take evening primrose oil
Evening primrose oil, this pretty yellow flower also called evening primrose, is full of gamma-linolenic fatty acids. It is perfect for women who are deficient and suffer from premenstrual syndrome . It acts quite effectively on breast congestion which makes the breasts hyper-sensitive. It is taken in the form of capsules one week a month, during the ovulation phase. It's a bit of a relief.
Doing self-massages
After the shower, with a vegetable oil of your choice, massage your chest. This improves the drainage of lymph, which has the function of cleansing our body and whose good circulation is essential to protect against infections. It also stimulates blood circulation and relieves congested breasts. Proceed delicately in small circles, forming a figure 8 around both breasts, then with both hands flat to relieve them.
Wear the right bra
In the same way that during periods, choosing the right periodic protection brings more comfort (like that of quality menstrual panties , we say that we say nothing), a suitable bra can help relieve painful breasts . During periods when they pull too much, a sports bra or sports bra will prevent the jolts that hurt with each quick step, and the little support of the well-fitting fabric will act like a massage. But do not wear it outside of these periods: the breasts must be free so that the lymph circulates normally and thus maintains good health.
Furthermore, did you know that Smoon also offers a nursing bra ?
Choosing your diet
It seems that you are what you eat. In any case, adapting your diet to your menstrual cycle is a very good habit to get into, especially when you suffer from breast pain. By choosing the right foods, you can moderate the hormonal peaks responsible for pain and avoid water retention which causes additional swelling. To do this, we replace sweets (only dark chocolate is allowed ), cold meats and other fatty products (or processed and full of salt) with foods rich in fiber and essential fatty acids: whole grains, green vegetables, fish. And we ease up on caffeine, a vasoconstrictor (it tightens blood vessels) which increases breast pain. Green tea will work best.
Enjoy herbal teas
Sage is known to relieve painful periods . It is also used to soothe mastodynia, because it regulates hormonal variations. This is also the case for the chaste tree (also known as the pepper tree). You can choose to consume these plants in the form of herbal teas, which allows you to hydrate and drain yourself at the same time. Otherwise, if it seems more practical to you, the capsule or mother tincture version is also effective.
By Elise
