Symptoms of Breast Lumps

It is not uncommon for women, especially from ages 30-50, to have breast lumps. The large majority of these lumps are not cancerous. Many go away on their own. While a woman is experiencing breast lumps she may have a variety of symptoms from them. As with any changes in the body, a doctor should be informed of these breast lumps when they appear.

Pain

Pain is the most common and obvious symptom of breast lumps. Hormonal changes (menstrual cycle, pregnancy) can make breast lumps more painful. Fibrocystic breast disease is also a benign condition that causes painful lumps to appear. Pain can range from a mild ache to a severe shooting or stabbing pain.

Tender to the Touch

Some breast lumps have no symptoms until they are pressed on. These harder lumps (often lipomas) are usually made up of fatty tissue. They feel tender when pressed and can be painful when they enlarge and are rubbed by arm movement or clothing. Lumps that are just tender to the touch can also be from a fat necrosis, caused by an injury to the skin or bruise.

Size

A change in the size of breast lumps is not uncommon with cysts. They may feel different as they grow and diminish with a women's monthly cycle. Symptoms of these types of breast lumps include a feeling of heaviness before the menstrual cycle when the cyst enlarges.

Redness

If redness, swelling and warmth occur with breast lumps, it could be a sign of an infection. Symptoms of infected lump -- also called an abscess -- include feeling generally ill and running a fever. Infections are most common after pregnancy when a woman is breast-feeding. They should be treated by a physician, who will probably prescribe antibiotics. While rare, it is also possible that redness can be caused by a blood clot, which also needs to be checked by a doctor.

Discharge

Occasionally, a breast lump will produce discharge from the nipple. An intraductal papillomas is a lump that can bring a bloody discharge from the nipple. Clear or brown discharge is also a possible symptom from breast lumps.

Considerations

Any lump or change in the breast should be investigated by a doctor. Breast cancer does not usually have symptoms, but can only be diagnosed by biopsy. If changes occur in the breast, the doctor will perform a mammogram and possibly a breast sonogram to determine the need for a biopsy.