Fibrocystic Breasts

If you have cyclic breast pain that comes and goes with your menstrual cycle or fibrocystic breast changes, home treatment measures may be enough to help you manage any pain or discomfort. (If you have missed a menstrual period and have tender breasts, see your doctor for a pregnancy test before using home treatment.) The following home treatments may be helpful.

• Wear a supportive bra or sports bra to restrict the motion of tender breasts.
• Reduce dietary fat to 15% or less of your dietary intake. This may reduce breast pain over time. A small study has shown that making this long-term dietary change significantly reduces breast pain.⁴ For most people, though, this is a drastic change in their usual diet. Discuss extreme diet changes with your doctor.
• Try a nonprescription pain reliever to help relieve pain. Your choices include acetaminophen (Tylenol) or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen. If this does not help, try applying an NSAID cream to your breasts 3 times a day.^{1, 5, 6} You can get NSAID cream with a prescription from your doctor.

Alternative medicines or supplements may help relieve breast tenderness, discomfort, or pain. As with all alternative therapies, it is important to follow the directions on the label. Do not exceed the maximum recommended dose. If you are or could be pregnant, talk with your doctor before taking any medicine or supplement.

You can buy vitamin and mineral supplements and herbal remedies in drugstores, grocery stores, and health food stores. Be sure to tell your doctor about any alternative medicines or supplements that you may try. Ask him or her how much is safe for you to take. Also be aware that some of these substances may interact with other medicines you are taking.

• Magnesium. Magnesium supplements taken at the recommended daily allowance of 400 mg a day in the second half of the menstrual cycle (usually the 2 weeks before the next period) can relieve cyclic breast pain as well as other premenstrual symptoms.⁷ Some women with premenstrual syndrome have low magnesium levels, which are linked to abnormal levels of chemicals (prostaglandins) that increase pain and inflammation. Magnesium is also likely to improve premenstrual mood symptoms.⁸ Taking more than the recommended maximum of 400 mg a day can cause diarrhea.
• Vitex (chasteberry). Although the action of vitex (Vitex agnus-castus) on the body isn't well understood, it does seem to change hormone levels that affect ovulation and estrogen production.⁸ Studies have shown that vitex improves breast tenderness, irritability, anger, bloating, cramping, and headaches.⁷ Several months of daily use are usually needed before it relieves symptoms. Possible side effects include acne, itchy skin or rash, nausea, headache, and fatigue.^{8, 9}

There are some home treatments that seem to work for some women, but have not been proved as ways to help breast changes. These include:

• Avoiding caffeine. Studies have not shown that avoiding caffeine relieves breast pain and generalized lumpiness.² But some women feel that they have less breast pain and lumpiness when they decrease the amount of caffeine they consume. Eliminating caffeine from your diet may have other health benefits.
• Taking vitamin E. There is no evidence that vitamin E relieves breast pain.¹
• Taking medicines that reduce water retention (diuretics). Research suggests that these medicines are not helpful for cyclic breast changes.⁴
• Evening primrose oil. The oil of evening primrose is a rich source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid. The latest research has shown that evening primrose oil is no better than a placebo, even after 6 months of treatment for breast pain.¹