Fibrocystic breasts, self care, and massage

Fibrocystic breasts are sore, tender, and lumpy breasts that often getting more painful and pronounced in the week or two before your period. This is another premenstrual symptom that a lot of us just deal with and see as normal- unavoidable . To some extent that may be true- mild premenstrual symptoms can be normal and expected. But plenty of women and people with menstrual cycles and breast tissue experience quite painful tenderness, sometimes even throughout the month, not just in the few days before a bleed.

So. Do we just live with this soreness? When do we accept it as just part of normal physiology? At what point do we say “enough”?

At minimum, you may want to give your breast tenderness a second thought when it becomes difficult to ignore. Here are four suggestions that are appropriate for a wide spectrum of breast symptoms, from mild to severe.

  1. Castor Oil Pack. I know I’m a broken record with this one, but it’s just a baseline self care practice that can be SO useful for so many issues (painful periods, sluggish liver, injuries, arthritis). See my Instagram Post about this simple practice. All you need is Castor Oil, a piece of organic cotton or flannel, a heat source (hot water bottle or heating pad), and a big blanket to wrap in. Ricinoleic Acid is the constituent in Castor Oil that can reduce congestion, improve lymphatic circulation and blood circulation, and break down scar tissue.

  2. Chest/Breast Self Massage. This simple practice is wonderful to do after a castor pack. There’s no need to get too worried about technique. Just gently massaging the breast or chest tissue from the outer edges (collar bone, axilla/arm pit, ribs) of each breast all the way to the nipple is a good place to start. Some touch is better than none at all. If you want a deep dive into chest self care, keep an eye out for a workshop taught by Pamela Samuelson and Mo Washburn called Antlers of the Heart: Breast & Chest Care as Radical Self Love. I also help clients during a session learn about how to massage their own chests for clear, healthy, flowing tissues.

  3. Another thing to consider is examining your iodine intake. There is some evidence to suggest that supplementation with iodine can be helpful in reducing fibrocystic breasts over time. Head over to the Fertility Friday Podcast for this episode about Fibrocystic Breasts and Iodine. Please note that iodine supplementation should first be discussed with a medical professional.

  4. Learn more about your cycles by using the Fertility Awareness Method. Sometimes painful, tender, sore breasts premenstrually can be a symptoms of hormonal imbalance. Once you dive into charting your cycles and focusing on optimizing your fertility (whether or not you want to have babies) you may find some irregular hormone patterns.

What is your experience with tender breasts? What self-care practices resonate with you most?

In the Los Angeles Manual Therapy Pelvic Health Program, we talk about breast health in the context of overall hormonal, menstrual, and pelvic health. Some times, taking steps toward correcting menstrual and hormonal imbalances can reduce the breast symptoms. In the Pelvic Health Program we take a deeper dive into what may be causing your specific symptoms. Head over here to book a free consultation with me