Last updated on October 24, 2020
Question:
I’m almost fifteen. I’ve had breasts since I was about 12, maybe a bit earlier, and periods since I was thirteen. Yesterday morning I woke up with a painful lump in my left breast. Where the right one is completely squishy and flexible, the left side has a hard, movable lump in it. It seems pretty deep and all day long it either tingles (like a foot that fell asleep) or else just outright throbs. Today it feels more disc-shaped than anything else, but it still hurts. I have no idea what to do about it, and I’m rather scared that it might be an infected cyst or something. Or maybe I’m just growing again? I don’t know. I look like an adult mostly, possibly a bit less, and with the lump, my left side looks a tiny bit bigger. I think it’s a bit swollen.
What should I do?
Answer:
It would not be unusual for a girl to have a lump develop that is caused by normal hormonal changes. Typically these lumps appear near your period and then disappear in a few days after your period is done.
Another possibility is that a milk duct became clogged and cyst formed in one of your mammary glands. This also can be triggered by hormonal changes and might clear itself up.
However, because the lump is sore, that typically means there is an infection. Redness would also indicate an infection. Because of this, you need to go see your regular doctor or gynecologist. If it is an infection, a course of antibiotics will clear it up.