One of the most common complaints that representatives of the fair sex of different ages turn to a specialist is tingling in the breast. There are a large number of reasons why this can happen. In this case, unpleasant sensations can occur both in one breast and in both. How to deal with this ailment? What is the source of this type of manifestation? When tingling in the breast, which doctor should I contact? You can find answers to all these questions in this article. Of course, do not forget that you should not self-medicate when a number of symptoms appear.
What are the physiological causes of tingling?
In order to understand how treatment should be carried out, you should know the source of the discomfort. So, with tingling in the mammary glands, the causes are divided into two types: physiological and pathological. The first of them will be considered in this section of the article.
They are absolutely safe for the health of women. During pregnancy, a tingling sensation in the breast occurs due to changes in them and preparation for lactation. A similar restructuring in the body of the expectant mother is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms, which include a slight soreness of the chest.
Lactation also refers to one of the physiological causes of this ailment. Tingling in the breast during breastfeeding occurs at the very beginning with the application of the baby and during a flush of milk.
If this symptomatology is accompanied by an increase in body temperature and severe pain, then you should contact your doctor or gynecologist. Most likely, here we are talking about lactostasis. The correct diagnosis can only be made by a specialist.
Due to abrupt hormonal surges, women complain of tingling in the breast before menstruation, three days before them. These sensations are cyclical in nature and are repeated every month at the same time. Tingling in the mammary gland can also be observed during menstruation.
If none of the physiological reasons listed above is suitable, then we will talk about a pathology or disease that needs to see a doctor and timely treatment.
Pathological reasons: what are they?
The sources of discomfort in this case can be mastopathy, neoplasms in the mammary gland, diseases of the circulatory system and heart, problems with the spine, mastitis or intercostal neuralgia.
Let us dwell on each disease separately.
So, with mastopathy, discomfort occurs in the neckline. On palpation of the breast in women, acute pain and burning appear. During palpation, seals may also be detected. Their size largely depends on the day of menstruation. Also, with this diagnosis, tingling in the mammary gland from the armpit is observed. With mastopathy, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist for treatment.
Mastitis occurs during breastfeeding. The main cause of this disease is stagnant processes in the glands. They arise due to improper and rare attachment of the baby to the chest. The main signs of mastitis are hardening and tenderness of the glands, redness and tingling in them, as well as an increase in body temperature. With untimely treatment, the disease can turn into a purulent form. Therefore, for medical therapy, you must urgently consult a surgeon.
In case of cardiovascular diseases, discomfort is disturbed only on the left side.
If there is an acute burning pain in the middle of the chest, it is necessary to call an ambulance. Since this is the main sign of a pre-infarction condition. Paroxysmal pain most often occurs with ischemia and cardiac arrhythmias. In this case, you need to contact a cardiologist.
If a woman has malfunctions in the thyroid gland, there may also be tingling sensations in the breast. To accurately determine the cause of these symptoms, indicating violations of this nature, you should consult an endocrinologist.
Breast neoplasms can be malignant and benign. As a rule, the main symptom is discomfort in the chest area.
Benign neoplasms may not appear for a long amount of time. They deliver only a little comfort to a woman.
Seals in the oncological process increase rapidly, and it is easy to notice them.
If pain occurs, consult a specialist.
Why are there tingles in the left chest?
This symptom is alarming, so you should pay attention to it.
So, the cause may be heart disease, in some cases, life-threatening patient. These include such ailments as ischemia, myocardial infarction.
Another source of this symptomatology is intercostal neuralgia. It is formed due to pinching of the nerve endings. One of the main features of this ailment is the increase in pain during bends. Often, intercostal neuralgia is confused with cardiovascular disease, and vice versa. To make a correct diagnosis, you need to contact a neurologist.
Tingling in the chest may also be associated with pathologies of the spine. These include diseases such as osteochondrosis, scoliosis, intervertebral hernia. If you experience pain during stress or a change in weather, you should contact an orthopedist and a neurologist.
Tingling in the chest during breastfeeding
Lactation is considered a normal physiological process. Light tingling sensations while breastfeeding are normal.
But if during lactation in the mammary glands seals formed, and discomfort intensified, then here they talk about the development of other diseases. A nursing mother may develop mastopathy. In addition, she may have problems with the thyroid and cardiovascular systems, or neuralgia. Also, such symptoms indicate the presence of neoplasms and cysts in the chest. To make the correct diagnosis, you need to contact your doctor.
Unpleasant chest sensations with menopause
As a rule, women after 50 years are worrying about symptoms of this kind. Most often, they suspect the development of such an ailment as breast cancer. But this is not always the case.
The cause of tingling in the breast with menopause can be hormonal changes. This is typical for a given period of a woman's life. A number of fair sexes complain of pain, swelling of the glands. And someone does not have any changes.
Also, the imbalance of fatty acids causes tingling in the chest, soreness and engorgement of the nipples.
In addition, with menopause, the woman’s body reacts very sharply to stressful situations.
For these reasons, tingling in the chest is not treated. A specialist can prescribe medications that can reduce discomfort.
How is the diagnosis made?
When tingling in the chest, the doctor (therapist, gynecologist, mammologist) studies the patient’s general complaints and sends them to the appropriate examination:
- X-ray of the cervicothoracic spine.
- ECG. It is made in order to exclude heart disease.
- Ultrasound of the thyroid gland. Carried out in the presence of endocrine disorders.
- General blood tests, blood tests for sugar.
- Mammography.
- Ultrasound of the breast. This test will be required if seals are found.
- Simple visual inspection and palpation of the breast.
If seals are present, a biopsy is performed. It determines whether the tumor is benign or malignant.
After a comprehensive diagnosis, the specialist prescribes the necessary therapy.
What is a conservative treatment?
If after examination, for example, an ultrasound of the breast, it was found that tingling in the chest is not associated with disorders and any pathologies, then the doctor prescribes symptomatic therapy. This type of treatment is referred to as conservative.
In order to produce sex hormones well, hormonal drugs are prescribed. The latter have a large number of side effects.
The doctor also prescribes the intake of vitamins, enzymes and nutritional supplements, sedatives. In addition, the treatment should be followed by a diet in which harmful foods should not be eaten. Herbal medicine is also practiced.
Surgical treatment
If neoplasms are found in the chest, surgical intervention will be required. In this case, individual sections of the mammary gland are removed. After the operation, the woman will need to take anticancer, painkillers and immunostimulating drugs.
What does prevention suggest?
In order to avoid such symptoms, you should lead a healthy lifestyle and periodically strengthen the protective functions of the body.
It is also necessary to minimize stressful situations and excessive unrest. It is not recommended to wear tight squeezing underwear.
One last thing: do regular breast self-tests. And if you have any doubts or discomfort, consult a specialist.