Lumpy Breasts

Many women notice lumpy breasts at certain times during their menstrual cycle as well as when they go through menopause. Some lumps in lumpy breasts can be precancerous. Usually, however, having lots of lumps (diffuse lumpiness) in the breat is more likely to signal a very common benign condition called Fibrocystic Breast Disease, or more accurately Fibrocystic Changes. About 30% of women in the United States experience these breast changes. Although their exact cause is unknown, they are believed to be related to cyclical hormonal changes. Women with fibrocystic breasts often describe a feeling of breast heaviness or tenderness, particularly around the time of their periods. Some women describe their breast as having a "cobblestone" feel. Sometimes women will also have nipple discharge. Fibrocystic breast disease, which can affect one or both breasts, tends to disappear after menopause.

If the skin around the lumps look red or bruished, it may be a sign of Fat Necrosis, literally the death of fatty tissue. This sign is usually caused by a physical injury to the breast, which can cause fatty breast tissue to disintegrate. A woman, particularly if she is obese, may not even realize she has a blow to her breast. However, some women may notice a nipple discharge on the breast that has been injured.

Lumpy breasts are hallmarks of two common benign breast conditions, Cysts (fluid-filled sacs) and Fibroadenomas (solid masses). While breast cysts tend to occur in clusters, only one fibroadenoma is usually found as a solitary lump. Both types of lumps feel round, small, and firm, and both tend to move around under the skin when you press on them. (In fact, fibroadenomas can be so mobile that they have earned the unfortunate moniker breast mice.) Like the lumpiness of fibrocystic disease, these lumps tend to come and go in rhythm with a woman's menstrual cycle. Fibroadenomas are common even among teenage girls. They often become larger during pregnancy and lactation, and older women may notice more cysts during late menopause, if they are hormone replacement therapy, or if they are very thin.