Breast Pain? Here's Why Your Bra Might Be Causing Breast Discomfort

While a lot of women who experience sudden and unexplained breast pain or discomfort are rightfully concerned, most of the time it's nothing to worry about, says Dr. Rabbia Khan, Specialist General Surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital.
Here is what Dr. Rabbia Khan has to say about breast pain caused by bras.
"Almost 50% of the presenting complain in my clinic is young women with breast pain. It’s extremely common to notice pain or discomfort in your breast. Unfortunately due to the increasing incidence of breast cancer, any symptom in the breast makes us think only about one thing: CANCER.

Not everything is a cancer, there are many benign (not cancer) things that can happen in the breast.
Some young breasts are dense, glandular and fibrocystic that explains pain, discomfort and heaviness in the breast most pronounced before the period date or even mid-cycle. To reassure you that is all normal, these are just hormonal changes throughout our cycle that effects the breast as well.

How do bras affect breast health?
Bras play a very important role especially when it comes to pain. Majority of women who notice pain in their breast are those who wear a very soft bra or not wearing any.
The purpose of a bra is to support your breast, so it has to be a properly fitting bra that supports the breast from all over.
I am a big advocate of sports bra when it comes to pain, most of the pain go away with the proper bra as it keeps the breast nicely supported. I am not against fancy lace and wired bras, but when you have pain, try and switch to the sports bra and feel the difference.

Self-examine your breasts regularly.
What else would you need to do? Know your breast! Check them every month, with the beginning of your period when you feel the breast is softer to touch. Stand in front of mirror and look for any abnormality, then gently start feeling them to examine.
If you are not sure, it's recommended to consult a breast specialist."