Why do my breasts get tender on my menstrual cycle?
Breast tenderness during your menstrual cycle has to do with the changes in your estrogen and progesterone levels that make your breast ducts and milk glands expand. That expanding is what makes your breast tender! If you are having ongoing breast pain, or any other irregularities, please go check in with a doctor to make sure everything is A-okay!
Fluctuating hormone levels account for most episodes of premenstrual breast swelling and tenderness. Estrogen causes the breast ducts to enlarge. Progesterone production causes the milk glands to swell and both can cause water retention. All of these events can cause your breasts to feel sore. Estrogen and progesterone both increase during the second half of the cycle — days 14 to 28 in a “typical” 28-day cycle. Estrogen peaks in the middle of the cycle, while progesterone levels rise during the week before menstruation. If you are having ongoing breast pain, or any other irregularities, please go check in with a doctor.
