Fibrocystic Breasts - Treatment Overview
Most women who have fibrocystic breast changes or cyclic breast pain do not require treatment from their doctor. Cystic or tender breasts are a normal premenstrual condition, and fibrocystic changes do not lead to breast cancer. Unless your pain is severe and long-standing, home treatment measures are likely to relieve your symptoms. For more information, see the Home Treatment section of this topic.
Low-dose birth control pills (oral contraceptives) may help reduce cyclic breast tenderness and breast swelling before periods. This may be an option if you have cyclic breast pain and you also want to prevent pregnancy.
- Birth control pills have very few serious side effects and may be taken safely by most nonsmoking women through their 40s.
- Some women find that birth control pills make their breast symptoms worse. Breast pain can also be a side effect of birth control pills. 2
In very rare cases, other prescription medicines are used to treat severe cyclic breast pain. Because all of these medicines can cause serious side effects, they are used only in cases of severe pain.
- Danazol is a man-made form of the male hormone testosterone. This medicine stops your menstrual cycle and puts your body into a menopause-like state.
- Bromocriptine reduces the production of prolactin, a hormone that is involved in breast development.
- Tamoxifen blocks the effects of estrogen in the body. It is often used to treat breast cancer or to help prevent breast cancer in high-risk women.
- Toremifene also blocks the effects of estrogen. One small study has shown that toremifene relieves breast pain and has fewer side effects than tamoxifen. 3
- Goserelin injections stop your ovaries from working. This stops your menstrual cycle and puts your body into a menopause-like state. 1 Significant side effects include hot flashes and weakened bones (bone density loss).
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Fibrocystic Breasts Topics
ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.
VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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Studies show that women who are in relationships tend to gain weight
