Reasons for increasing the sensitivity of the mammary glands. Increased nipple sensitivity: is it necessary to fight it Nipple sensitivity what

Sensitive nipples, as a rule, become the result of hormonal changes in the body, so this condition is most often found in pregnant women. If you suddenly begin to notice that your breasts ache, and the nipples are irritated when external influence then it is best to visit a gynecologist or purchase a pregnancy test. There are other causes of breast tenderness too.

Inside female breast there are multiple receptors and endings that can react painfully to touch or other external stimuli. An important role is played by physiological feature women. So, for example, touching and stroking one woman will not cause any emotions, while the other will feel discomfort from such actions.

The following factors can lead to excessive sensitivity:

• premenstrual period;
• period;
• period of bearing the child;
• lactation.

It is during these periods that the blood rushes to the mammary glands, and the nipples become most sensitive. A similar condition during pregnancy is explained hormonal changes in organism.

Increased sensitivity nipple is manifested in the fact that even the slightest touch causes unpleasant sensations in a woman. Before menstruation or during the period when it should have occurred before pregnancy, the same thing happens.

Why does the chest hurt before menstruation (video)

Causes of discomfort

Why do nipples become sensitive at some point? In addition to pregnancy, there may be other reasons for this condition. Mastodynia, as very sensitive nipples are called in medicine, can be cyclic and non-cyclic.

Cyclic mastodynia appears every month before the onset of menstruation. Hormones such as estrogen, prolactin, progesterone are activated, they polyferyize tissues and increase the pressure of structures on the nerve endings.

In addition, the increase in hormones in the female body leads to a decrease in fluid, which also causes additional discomfort in the nipples. Non-cyclic mastodynia does not appear regularly and is associated with internal disorders, often as a result pathological process... In this case, the manifestations of sensitivity may be combined with other symptoms. For example, pain and tenderness in only one or part of the breast. The pain can be sharp, sometimes intensifying, then subsiding, constant or intermittent, etc.

Nipple sensitivity can occur under the following circumstances:

• as already mentioned, pregnancy comes first;
• the presence of neoplasms in breast, tumors or cysts;
• receiving some medicines e.g. antidepressants oral contraceptives, diuretics, etc .;
• damage to the nipples, bruises or other injuries;
• surgical interventions or other procedures performed on the chest;
• large female breasts;
• illness spinal column, the cardiac system, or muscle pain;
• stressful situations and nervous tension;
• abortion;

The sensitivity of the nipples may also increase due to the individual characteristics of the organism. There are women whose pain threshold and the sensitivity threshold is too high. This is considered the norm for them.

If you suddenly begin to notice that your breasts ache, and your nipples are irritated by external influences, then it is best to visit a gynecologist or get a pregnancy test

During pregnancy

Sensitive nipples are the first sign of pregnancy. As soon as you feel discomfort in the chest area, it is recommended to change your underwear to a more comfortable one, preferably without rough seams. But, on the other hand, doctors recommend putting coarse pieces of fabric in the bra cups. So the nipples will become coarser by the end of gestation and are fully prepared for breastfeeding. You can also take an air bath to harden your breasts.

Mostodynia in pregnant women does not appear just like that, it is the body's defense against premature birth. The fact is that additional stimulation of the nipples leads to the release of the hormone oxytocin, and this, in turn, can affect uterine contraction.

If the nipples become sensitive and pregnancy is established, then along with this, other signs associated with the woman's breasts appear:

1. Swelling of the nipples. During pregnancy, the breast increases by 2 or even 3 sizes. This condition is due to activity female hormones... The nipple becomes embossed and increases in size.
2. Darkening. Another sign of pregnancy is nipple pigmentation. But not all women can do this.
3. Montgomery tubercles. These are small bumps around the nipples, they appear when the gland swells. During pregnancy, they can be counted from 10 to 13 pieces. Some doctors are sure that the more of these tubercles, the more milk will be produced in the woman in the future.
4. Isolation of colostrum. In some women, a yellowish liquid from the nipples appears already at the end of the first trimester. In most cases, colostrum appears closer to childbirth. Do not squeeze out this liquid, when it is released, simply wipe the chest with a clean cloth and observe hygiene measures. You can put pieces in your bra soft tissue... Colostrum can help nipples. If you lubricate your breasts with them, then it will become healthier, dryness will disappear.

Early pregnancy symptoms (video)

How to get rid of hypersensitivity

With these questions, you can contact a specialist in this area - a mammologist. If this is not possible, then you should read the following tips:

1. Change of linen, soft fabric lining in the bra.
2. You should not stimulate the nipples during pregnancy. Otherwise, it will be possible to provoke premature birth.
3. There are cases when the sensitivity of the nipples during pregnancy remains normal, this is not considered a pathology. Everything is individual, and such a state can only indicate the natural characteristics of the organism.

The sensitivity of the nipples may also increase due to the individual characteristics of the organism.

When nipple discomfort occurs, which is associated with natural processes in the body, you can try to reduce it in the following ways:

1. Nutrition adjustment. Certain foods, such as caffeine, chocolate, tea, and others, can irritate the area of ​​juices, so you should reduce your intake. In addition, salty foods retain fluid in the body. It is better to focus on eating vegetables and fruits with high content fiber. Excess estrogen will quickly leave the body if the liver is strengthened, and this is achieved by avoiding alcohol and fatty foods.
2. Reception vitamin complexes.
3. Correct selection underwear.
4. With cyclic mastodynia, that is, in the pre-month period, take diuretics, so swelling will decrease.

If you want to reduce nipple sensitivity through medication, it is best to consult your doctor first. Only a doctor at severe pain nipple may prescribe appropriate anti-inflammatory or hormonal drugs.

Hello Angelica.

Many women at least once in their lives have experienced the appearance unpleasant sensations in the mammary glands. This is a swelling of the breast, a change in its sensitivity. This phenomenon is called mastodynia; distinguish between cyclic and acyclic mastodynia.

Cyclic mastodynia- these are unpleasant sensations in the mammary glands, which are directly related to the woman's menstrual cycle. The fact is that throughout menstrual cycle hormonal changes occur in the female body. Most often, women note swelling of the mammary glands and the appearance in them painful sensations, which are noted in the 2nd phase of the menstrual cycle (phase corpus luteum), but they are caused by a change in the level of certain hormones in the body. As a rule, unpleasant sensations are observed evenly in the two mammary glands. They are most pronounced before menstruation, so many women consider them one of the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome. Nothing wrong with that. However, when such phenomena are very pronounced and do not disappear with the onset of a new menstrual cycle, it is advisable to see a doctor.

Acyclic mastodynia- This is the appearance of chest pains that are not associated with the menstrual cycle. In this case, discomfort in the mammary glands manifests itself in different time menstrual cycle, have different localization and intensity, can be observed only in one mammary gland. In most cases, mastodynia is not an independent disease - it is a symptom that indicates the presence of some kind of pathology.

The reasons for the appearance of acyclic mastodynia are different:

1. Sharp fluctuations hormonal background an organism not related to the menstrual cycle; they can be observed during puberty in girls, during menopause. Some women notice a change in the sensitivity of the mammary glands that appears with the onset of pregnancy, which is also caused by hormonal changes in the female body.
2. Reception of some medical supplies... Most often, such phenomena are observed when taking hormonal oral contraceptives, antidepressants, drugs to stimulate ovulation.
3. Inflammatory diseases breast, such as mastitis, the development of an abscess. With these diseases, redness of the mammary gland is most often observed, sharp pain in it.
4. Benign and malignant tumors breast.
5. Injuries to the chest.
6. Wearing uncomfortable underwear. This is most important when large size breasts.
7. Stress and psycho-emotional stress.
8. Muscle and joint pain, heart pain, osteochondrosis. All these pains can spread to the mammary gland, although their occurrence is not related to the breast.

If the appearance of discomfort in the mammary gland is not associated with the menstrual cycle, then you need to see a mammologist. In the case when this specialist is on the staff medical institution absent, you can visit a gynecologist. To determine the cause of painful sensations in the mammary gland, a personal examination is needed; the doctor may also prescribe additional research and tests, such as mammography, blood tests for sex hormones, etc.

Breast sensitivity manifests itself in the form of mild or severe pain that occurs during palpation, wearing underwear and clothes, during active movements or performing physical exercise, while running or walking fast.

Breast sensitivity in some cases can be temporary, manifesting itself at certain periods of the menstrual cycle, under the influence of natural hormonal changes, but sometimes it is a symptom of the disease.

Only a doctor can determine the exact cause of breast sensitivity after examining the results of examinations and anamnesis. But first, let's determine what factors can provoke this phenomenon.

Breast tenderness during pregnancy

During pregnancy female body undergoes many significant changes, against the background of which breast sensitivity develops. According to statistics, such ailments often appear already on early dates.

The reason for breast tenderness during pregnancy is associated with a change in hormonal system... The effect is temporary, so no special measures need to be taken.

Breast tenderness during lactation

Under the influence of the hormone prolactin, active milk production occurs, which leads to swelling of the mammary glands. Quite often, during the period of breastfeeding after childbirth, a woman notices an increase in breast sensitivity.

This condition can persist during the entire lactation period, manifest itself with an excess amount of milk, after feeding or during feeding.

As a rule, breast sensitivity disappears on its own after lactation is complete. You need to contact a mammologist and undergo examinations if you notice that the ailments persist after lactation.

Breast tenderness after surgery

If the patient has undergone breast surgery (installation of implants, reduction mammoplasty, reconstruction of glands), most often she does not observe an increase in breast sensitivity, but a temporary loss of it.

When touched, it seems to her that the skin of the breast does not feel anything at all. To a greater extent this problem extends to the nipple-areola complex. If the sensitivity of the breast has disappeared, you should not worry, since within 7-14 days after the operation it will have to recover on its own.

Breast tenderness before menstruation

On the eve of menstruation, the body prepares for complex processes... Hormones play an important role in it, therefore, under their influence, the mammary glands swell, slightly increase in size and may seem heavy for some time.

Many women experience various uncomfortable sensations before the first days of a new menstrual cycle, and sometimes breast tenderness appears before menstruation.

Breast tenderness on sexual arousal

Like a man's penis, female nipples are prone to erection, which occurs with intense sexual arousal. At this moment, they become more sensitive to touch and react slightly painfully to mechanical stress. This condition is natural: it is not for nothing that sex therapists consider nipples to be one of the most sensitive erogenous zones among women.

Breast sensitivity with mastopathy

Mastopathy is a disease in which there is an overgrowth of the mammary glands. Clinical picture suggests pronounced swelling and enlargement of the breast, the occurrence of pain and discharge from the nipples. Also, with mastopathy, an increase in breast sensitivity is often observed. You cannot just leave the problem without attention. You will need a doctor's examination and treatment.

Breast tenderness in adolescence

V puberty girls quite often complain of soreness and tenderness of the breasts, which can manifest itself in different periods menstrual cycle. This is completely normal hormonal state for a teenage girl, in whose body there are dramatic changes.

Many women worry deeply about the size of their breasts for a variety of reasons. Although everyone already knows that the point is not at all about external data. Indeed, the pleasure that a woman receives from caresses directly depends on the level of sensitivity. Many representatives of the beautiful half of humanity mistakenly think that if the surface of the breast is larger, then the woman gets more pleasure. However, this is not entirely correct statement.

What determines the sensitivity of the female breast

The level of breast sensitivity depends on many different factors: the level of hormones in the body, the state of health, the general sensitivity of the body. Naturally, when a woman's health is not all right, or she is going through a difficult period in her life, she will receive much less pleasure from touching. That is why, first of all, a woman needs to pay attention not to the size of her breasts, but to the state of the body as a whole.

Necessary proper nutrition, playing sports, good rest and an active lifestyle, positive thinking... Also, sensitivity depends on subjective factors: lactation period, past illnesses breasts, inflammatory processes in the body, the number of children who were breastfed by a woman.

How to increase the sensitivity of a woman's breasts

The most sensitive areas of a woman's breasts are undoubtedly the nipples. In order to be more sensitive, they must be carefully looked after. The skin of the entire breast is very thin and unusually delicate, therefore it is necessary to pick up good cream or mousse specifically for this area. Make sure that the nipples are free of inflammation, rashes and cracks.

It is also necessary to draw Special attention on the quality of your laundry. It is not at all necessary that there be a lot of underwear, but it is worth buying it only in expensive stores after trying on. The underwear should fit your size, do not squeeze the delicate and soft skin chest and not be too loose. You shouldn't get carried away with push-up either, despite its popularity. After all, underwear can injure your breasts.

Well, proper nutrition, exercises for the shape and tone of the chest and healthy image life will lift your breasts, make your skin healthier and more elastic, not only in appearance, but also in touch. In addition, a little increase in size will help you and special exercises if it doesn't quite suit you.

During pregnancy, the nipples change, as does the entire body of a woman, and these changes can raise a number of questions. It is clear that for the successful feeding of the child, the mammary gland is actively preparing, it grows glandular tissue, the breast increases in size and becomes dense.

But also the nipples during pregnancy must undergo changes. For breastfeeding to be successful, they need to enlarge, respond correctly to irritation, and all of this must happen before the baby is born.

Changes in the nipples during pregnancy also include the appearance of discharge, to which the skin can react with irritation, itching, and crusting. And it is impossible to exclude the possibility of diseases during the carrying of a child that are not associated with pregnancy, their symptoms must be recognized in order to consult a doctor in time.

The nipples at the beginning of pregnancy change literally from the first days, in fact, by 5-6 weeks any woman notices that they are not the same as before. If in non-pregnant women the nipple is light, pale pink, in a pregnant woman it becomes dark, almost brown. They often become very sensitive, and even painful, and all these early changes were included in the classic first signs of pregnancy.

The mammary glands in the early stages of pregnancy change rapidly with the breast, by the second trimester the changes stop, but by 20-25 weeks many begin to produce colostrum, and this again draws attention to the breast, there may be problems. After pregnancy and breastfeeding the nipples brighten, I return to the previous sizes, but they will not be exactly the same as before.

In this article, we will cover all normal changes and possible deviations from the norm, as well as analyze the ways of their solution.

Changes in the nipples of the mammary glands due to pregnancy

Nipple sensitivity

Nipple sensitivity during pregnancy appears early, from the first weeks of pregnancy. Why is this happening?

One of the hormones that preserve pregnancy and are released in the early stages in a large number, is prolactin. It is also called lactation hormone. The tissues of the mammary gland and nipples in particular have receptors for this hormone, and when it high level get a team, grow and develop quickly. In the chest, blood circulation is sharply increased, it coarsens and grows. The size of the areolas increases several times in a matter of weeks, the skin of the nipples does not keep pace with these changes and is greatly stretched, which causes sensitivity and even pain. So if your nipples are sore, itchy during pregnancy, perhaps even a burning sensation and tingling sensation is not scary and this is not a disease, but rather a sign of pregnancy.

Not all women have nipples sore during pregnancy, moreover, for some, the breasts almost do not change, and this is also normal, it depends on the sensitivity to prolactin. This does not mean at all that then there will be little milk, it is just that everything is individual for everyone.

Is there any way you can help yourself?

Oh sure. First of all, you need to choose a soft cotton bra that is suitable for the size, and now start using remedies for stretch marks on the chest during pregnancy.

Swelling of the nipples

The enlargement of the nipples during pregnancy can be very pronounced, look at the photo, how the nipples enlarge during pregnancy and how the nipples look in non-pregnant women.

Appearance breast in a non-pregnant woman.

This is how the breast looks during pregnancy and after childbirth, the nipples are large, with a dark areola.

During pregnancy, the nipples swell due to the proliferation of the milky excretory ducts, they should become convex so that the baby can easily capture the mammary gland with the mouth. Areolas are simply stretched as a result of the enlargement of the mammary gland. At the end of breastfeeding, the size of the breasts becomes smaller, and the area of ​​the areolas will also decrease, but the nipples are likely to remain larger than they were before the birth.

In many ways, the type of mammary glands depends on heredity. Flat nipples can become an obstacle to breastfeeding, and in order to prevent this from happening, breasts need to be prepared for breastfeeding.

Nipple color

The nipple halo during pregnancy increases in diameter and darkens. The degree of darkening can vary, and in some women they turn almost brown. At the same time, the very color of the nipples during pregnancy can be the same as that of areoles, or lighter.

Redness of the nipples during pregnancy is less common and this normally happens in women with very light skin, natural blondes.

Darkening of the nipples during pregnancy is caused by the deposition of melanin pigment, which is produced in the skin under the influence of sex hormones.

The timing of when the nipples darken during pregnancy are different, for example, in some women this happens at the earliest stages, already by 6-8 weeks, and for some, the color of the nipples changes gradually. It should be noted that severe darkening of the nipples during early pregnancy may become less pronounced in the last months, stretching and increasing in size, the areola gradually brightens.

During pregnancy, not everyone's nipples darken, this again depends on the sensitivity to pregnancy hormones. If your nipples have not darkened, this is okay, not everyone also has other pigmentation, for example, a dark strip on the abdomen or chloasma spots on the face. At the same time, dark, brown nipples, the color of which you may not like so much now, will not remain so forever, they will definitely brighten.

Darkening of the nipples during pregnancy photo

Discharge from the nipples

Discharge from the nipples during pregnancy is the most common occurrence, there is no need to be afraid of this at all. Sometimes colostrum appears already in the first weeks, but the usual time for the appearance of discharge is the third trimester of pregnancy. Like other signs of pregnancy, nipple discharge is common symptom preparation of the body for childbirth, there is a kind of training before lactation.

What does colostrum look like? It is transparent with splashes of white or yellow color, sometimes just white or yellow fluid from the nipples.

Pregnancy does not exclude the possibility of simultaneous lactation, if you are breastfeeding during pregnancy, then your breast will continue to produce the usual breast milk, although its taste may change, and this common reason refusal of the baby from the breast. Still, before giving birth, it is worth taking a break in breastfeeding, at least for a couple of months.

Preparing nipples for breastfeeding during pregnancy

Changing the nipples during pregnancy itself prepares the breast for breastfeeding. By and large, no preparation of the nipples for feeding is specifically needed; rather, you need to psychologically tune in to breastfeeding.

You need to specially prepare the breasts only in one case, if the nipples are flat, and the areola is tight and not stretchable.

Sometimes the mammary glands are normal, but they do not react as they should, instead of lengthening and becoming bulging in response to irritation, they retract. Such nipples during pregnancy also require attention, since during this period they can be trained to respond to stimulation correctly, however, the techniques used in this case can cause uterine contractions due to the release of oxytocin. This is the reason for the prohibition of any manipulations with the breast in the presence of a threat of interruption, massage of the nipples during pregnancy is contraindicated in such cases.

If a woman is healthy and there is no threat of interruption, then to strengthen the nipples, it is recommended to stretch them, rolling them between the fingers, such a nipple massage during pregnancy cannot be done for more than 1 minute, and it cannot be carried out aggressively, with violence.

Nipple massage during pregnancy, photo

Remember even if you have flat nipples, this is not so important, the baby still sucks not the nipple, but the breast, and therefore, you can breastfeed anyway.

Mammary test for readiness for childbirth

Stimulating the nipples during pregnancy releases endogenous (produced in the woman's body) oxytocin, a contraction-causing hormone. If the pregnant woman is ready for childbirth, the uterus reacts to this by contraction. The mammary test for readiness for childbirth is based on recording the contraction of the uterus in response to stimulation of the nipples. It is assessed as positive if, with CTG, a contraction is recorded already 3 minutes later and earlier after the start of stimulation, and at least three such contractions occur within 10 minutes.

Stimulation of the nipples during pregnancy with her normal course does not pose a threat and should not provoke childbirth, only if the mother and child are ready for them, this can cause real contractions.

Nipple problems during pregnancy and how to solve them

If nipples flake, dry and crack during pregnancy

Dry breasts during pregnancy are a problem that women often encounter. Why do nipples peel and dry?

Like other skin changes, dry nipples can be caused by a lack of vitamins in a pregnant woman, for example, vitamin A and B vitamins, hormonal changes and skin irritation by constantly leaking colostrum.

As a rule, the mammary glands peel off during pregnancy, most often in the last months, but some have to face this already at the very beginning. If you do nothing and just endure, cracks in the nipples may appear, which is not at all pleasant at all.

Peeling, dry, and cracked nipples during pregnancy are not intractable problems. Do you care for your breast skin? Do you use creams? Do not deprive the nipple area either, be sure to lubricate this area with stretch marks cream. Already existing cracks can be healed with bepanten or sea buckthorn oil.

Pain and cracks prevent breastfeeding. Collecting the bag in the hospital - do not forget to put there a special cream for nipple care when feeding. Now in the Russian Federation, Bepanten and Purinal are the most popular, although the whole world uses Lansinoh HPA lanolin ointment when breastfeeding, which has enormous advantages: it does not need to be washed off before feeding, it allows the breast skin to breathe and instantly relieves pain in the nipples with cracks, so often occurring in the early days of breastfeeding. Until recently, this ointment could not be bought in Russia - it was simply not supplied, today you can purchase it when ordering a bag at the maternity hospital from our partner.