More Than 50% Of Women Affected By Lumpy Breasts Or Fibrocystic Breast Condition

Many women are diagnosed with fibrocystic disease of the breast and are afraid what it may turn into in the future. After all it feels like a lump and as far as you know, lumps can be pretty dangerous. You need not worry on this count. Fibrocystic disease of the breast, commonly known as ‘lumpy breast’ afflicts almost 30% to 60% of the women around the world.

It is a completely benign growth of the breast tissue and is usually seen in women of childbearing age, between the ages of 30 and 50 and tends to decline once the women hit menopause. According to the new nomenclature, fibrocystic disease of breast is now called as fibrocystic breast condition.

Cause of fibrocystic breast disease condition

As breasts are a part of the female reproductive system, all the hormones that affect the menstrual cycle also affect the breast tissue. The most important of these hormones are estrogen and progesterone. Apart from these two, other hormones like prolactin, growth factor, insulin and thyroid hormone also influence fibrocystic changes in the breast tissue. Certain local hormones also play a role in the development of this condition.

During each cycle of the menstrual period, there is growth of the endometrial tissue under the influence of the reproductive hormones. This growth occurs in anticipation of pregnancy. Similarly, the glandular tissue of the breast also proliferates. The blood vessels supplying the breast tissue multiply; there is growth of the supporting tissue and increased metabolism of the breast tissue cells.

That is the reason why women complain of fullness of breast tissue before their periods. Once the periods are over, the breast cells, unlike the endometrial cells which are sloughed away with the menstrual blood, undergo a process of programmed cell death, or apoptosis. Local enzymes break down the cells of the glandular tissue and the resulting cellular fragments are further acted upon by inflammatory cells. There are times when this break down may lead to scarring (fibrosis).

When the secretions produced by the glands become entrapped in the scarred glandular tissue, a cyst is formed. Under the action of various hormones in the subsequent cycles, these fluid filled cysts become enlarged and can be as lumps by the women themselves, or by their physicians during routine examination. Certain cysts may remain small in size. Many of these pea-sized cysts may clump together to form a lump. The variation in the formation of the lump results in their different consistency when felt on palpation.

Symptoms Of Fibrocystic Disease Of Breast

The symptoms of fibrocystic disease of breast vary from one woman to another. While some women feel pain and tenderness of the breast tissue only before their periods, there are other women who complain of painful breasts throughout their menstrual cycle. There is a dull, heavy pain the breast region which may be accompanied by itching of the nipple.

In certain women, the lump is so small in size that it can hardly be palpated. On the other hand, there are women who have breast lumps pretty big in size that can be palpated in both the breasts.

The fibrocystic changes are usually not confined to one particular breast. There may be discrepancy in the size and number of cysts in both the breasts initially, but soon enough, the other breast also undergoes these changes so that both the breasts are equally lumpy.

Diagnosis of fibrocystic disease of breast

It is important to diagnose fibrocystic changes because of several reasons. First and foremost is to allay the fears of the woman with this condition. Just the term ‘lump’ is enough to conjure terrifying thoughts of malignancy. Then there are times when the lump is pretty big in size and it is difficult to get to know about any underlying malignancy. As both the conditions involve the breast tissue and mimic each other closely, physicians do not like to take any chance with the diagnosis. So apart from the usual palpation, they like to order specific diagnostic tests like biopsy of the mass and screening mammography.

On palpation, the lumps in the breast tissue are generally palpated in the upper outer quadrant. The lumps can be freely moved upon the underlying tissue and are usually round and smooth to touch.

There are times when the lumps in the breast are so dense that even mammography cannot be interpreted clearly. In such cases, the doctors rely on either breast specialized ultrasound examinations, or opt for needle biopsy of the lump tissue. These tests are helpful in clearly differentiating between fibrocystic disease of the breast and malignancy of the breast tissue.

Treatment of fibrocystic disease of breast

Fibrocystic disease of breast is a benign condition that does not warrants any treatment. At the most, women suffering from lumpy breasts can wear a bra which provides good support to the breast tissue. In case the heaviness and tenderness become difficult to bear, women can go for over the counter analgesics like ibuprofen, to get some pain relief. There are times when the tenderness in the breasts just before the periods becomes extremely difficult for the women to bear. In these cases, such women should consult their gynecologists who would prescribe them low dose birth control pills. Taking these pills makes the cycles un-ovulatory and help in banishing the premenstrual cramps. They also help to reduce the swelling and tenderness of breasts associated with the periods.

Certain therapists like to prescribe medicines containing evening primrose oil, vitamin E, thiamine and magnesium to reduce the symptoms of fibrocystic disease.

However, the efficacy of these products has never been studied. It is always a good idea to consult your physician before embarking on any such treatment.

Consult your physician about the need of repeating any of the investigations at a later death. In certain cases, like when there is a family history of breast cancer, it is a good idea to repeat screening mammography at regular intervals.