Self-care tips to help with menopause and breast pain
Breast pain should ease over time but what to do in the meantime? What self-care steps can you take to manage this hormonal pain & tenderness?
Support from a well-fitted bra
Treat yourself to a bra fitting, we’d encourage you to go to an independent specialist shop where they know how to measure correctly, rather than large department stores that still work with old-school measuring techniques. Investing in the correct size and cup will give you an instant boost and literally, take the weight off your shoulders. If you’re busty and looking for the best exercise support, try the pebeactive specialist range for D+ cup. Women go up one and a half dress sizes as they go through menopause, so it stands to reason that bra sizes change too. Some women, especially with larger breasts, wear a sleep bra for support in bed. Wear a sports bra when exercising, to prevent further sag and drag & minimise pain and sensitivity.
Hands-on
Massaging your breasts regularly can reduce inflammation and help with blood circulation. Gently massage breasts daily with Vitamin E oil or when in the shower using soap.
Ice Cool Help
To soothe aching, swollen breasts, make your own ice pack. Grab a handful of ice cubes, wrap them up in a cloth and place the pack on each breast for a few minutes. Ice packs will soothe rather than cure pains. Or, why not try the mastitis cure, put chilled savoy cabbage leaves inside your bra?
Is there a diet for menopause sore breasts?
In a word, no! However, menopause is all about trying to balance out those hormone levels and finding ‘work arounds’:
Fibre helps to balance out oestrogen levels: eg. broccoli, spinach, kale, brussel sprouts, cabbage, blueberries, strawberries, mangoes and guava.
Wholefoods and whole grains may improve hormonal levels reducing the severity of breast tenderness and swelling. Eat more: soya based foods such as edamame beans, tofu and miso. That hearty bowl of porridge could work wonders.
Linseed: A tablespoon a day may help with cyclical breast pain. Add to cereals, salads, soups, smoothies etc.
Essential fatty acids are great for your overall health. Eat more: avocados, walnuts and omega-3 fish oils found in SMASH – salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and halibut.
Vitamin E: helps regulate hormonal changes, which may reduce breast pain. Eat more: Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, avocados.
What to avoid to help with breast pain and tenderness
Dodge the dairy products
Research has shown eating a plant-based diet may offer relief from breast pain. Dairy products contain the hormone prolactin - a Canadian study found that women eating diets with lower levels of prolactin no longer suffered breast pain. Try cutting out dairy products for one month to see if it has any noticeable effect on pain and discomfort levels.
Avoid refined foods
Avoid refined carbohydrates, saturated fat and trans-fatty acids. This should help lower your body fat and dietary fats.
Cut out the caffeine
Coffee, tea and other caffeine-based drinks such as Cola and Red Bull, and chocolate may have an unwanted effect on breasts. Caffeine stimulants widen the blood vessels which could lead to swelling and pain - agents in caffeine can cause breast soreness around the time of a period.
If you smoke STOP!
Smoking can have an adverse effect on your body during menopause preventing your body from adapting to the hormonal changes. Whilst we’re talking breasts, postmenopausal women who smoke or have smoked have, or been around second-hand smoke have an increased risk of developing breast cancer risk!