Causes of Breast Pain in Man

Like women, men may also feel discomfort in the breasts, which is most often caused by bumps on the breast during a physical activity or at work or even due to irritation of the nipple due to friction with the shirt, for example .

Although it does not usually mean serious situations, it is important to investigate the causes of breast pain in humans, as it may represent fibroadenoma or the presence of cysts in the breast, which may be benign or malignant, and biopsy of the breast tissue should be performed so that the characteristics of the cells are analyzed. Understand what biopsy is and what it is for.

Main causes

The pain in the man's breast is usually not a sign of cancer, because malignant tumors usually only cause pain when they are already in more advanced stages. Thus, the main causes of pain in the male breast are:

1. Injuries to the breast, which can occur due to strokes suffered during physical activity or at work;
2. Runner's nipples, which are nipples irritated or bloody due to the friction of the chest on the shirt during running practice. Know other causes of nipple irritation;
3. Mastitis, which corresponds to painful inflammation of the breasts, being rare in men;
4. Cyst in the breast, which despite being more common in women, can also occur in men and is characterized by pain when pressing the tissue around the breast. Learn more about breast cyst;
5. Gynecomastia, which corresponds to the growth of the breasts in man and that can happen due to the excess of mammary glandular tissue, overweight or endocrine diseases, for example. Know the causes of breast enlargement in men;
6. Fibroadenoma, a benign breast tumor but rare in men. Understand what fibroadenoma is in the breast and how it is treated.

Although serious causes of breast pain such as cancer, for example, are rarer in men, those who have a history in the family should do breast self-examination every 3 months at least to check for the presence of swelling and lumps, for example. Learn more about the symptoms and treatment of male breast cancer.

What to do

In the presence of man's breast pain, one should evaluate the region and try to identify the cause. In cases of a bruise or runner's nipple, cold compresses should be put in place 2-3 times per day and use pain medication such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen and Aspirin, for example.

In cases of mastitis, cyst or fibroadenoma you should go to the doctor to do tests and evaluate the need to use medications or have surgery. Also, it is important to remember that you should always consult a doctor in cases of breast lump.

To know if you can have a more serious problem, see 12 symptoms of breast cancer.