Menopause and Breast Tenderness

Every woman dreads the coming of menopause, which is defined as the single day that follows 12 months without menstruation. It isn't so much the cessation of menstruation that is feared (many women actually welcome this particular change), rather it is the transition stage before menopause that women are afraid of. The unpredictable nature of hormones gives no fair warning to women, and they never know when or what will strike.

One of the symptoms of this transition stage, known as perimenopause, is breast tenderness. You may be wondering what menopause and breast tenderness have to do with each other, but the truth is that they couldn't be more connected. It has to do with your hormones.

When you first started menstruating, you may have noticed that you would bloat slightly before you began bleeding. Apart from the water retention, your breasts may also have felt tender, and slightly painful to the touch. Many women experience this tenderness prior to their menstruating, making it a monthly occurrence. Some women become really used to it.

The tenderness is usually due to the estrogen and progesterone hormones, which are what governs your menstrual cycle. With menopause and breast tenderness, the reason is the same. During perimenopause, your hormones, particularly estrogen and progesterone lose their timing and their control over the amounts of hormone to release (this is why some women have spiked levels of estrogen and others have very low levels.) As a result of your hormones not being in sync, several symptoms can occur, tenderness in the breasts being one of them.

So why is menopause and breast tenderness a big deal to perimenopausal women? It is because the type of tenderness experienced during this transition stage is quite severe. Some women report not being able to touch their breasts, feeling a dull constant pain, and having to sleep on their backs or with a bra so as to protect their breasts because the pain can wake them up. Plus, they can forget about intimacy. That flies out the window when menopause and breast tenderness kicks in.

Many women struggling with menopause and breast tenderness say that not many things work when it comes to solving the problem. Most women say you just have to endure menopause and breast tenderness. HRT or hormone replacement therapy, which is a common therapy used for perimenopause can have problem as a side effect, so this is not always the best solution, and other techniques, such as drinking lots of water and not consuming anything with caffeine doesn't seem to help alleviate symptoms either.

It is not a hopeless problem, though. There are many books available on the market which help women cope with their perimenopause symptoms. One such book, 'Perimenopause: Have it, Live it, Love it' really stresses more natural forms of treatment, such as diet changes and special exercises. These natural methods can help menopause and breast tenderness as well as other symptoms you may be experiencing.

Remember, you don't have to live with menopause and breast tenderness. You can always do something about it! This stage in life doesn't have to be dreaded and feared. Though it will be a bit of challenge, it can definitely be overcome!