I’ve suffered from intense breast pain since my mid-20s. I got an IUD when I was around 26, and for about three weeks out of each month leading up to my period, my breasts would feel sore, swollen, and heavy.
Before 2020, I weighed a little over 130 pounds. Once we were quarantined in NYC, my weight increased by about 15 to 20 pounds due to inactivity and binge-eating snacks because I thought the world might end.
Larger breasts run in my family, with close family members having to get reductions after having children. My breasts took on a lot of the weight I gained, and suddenly, having painful breasts every month turned into not being able to lift my arms without sharp pain. Walking around my house without a bra was difficult. And everyone knows walking around the house without a bra is the best.
I tried taking Advil and Tylenol and using cold compresses, but these did little to nothing for my pain and didn’t feel like sustainable solutions. Exercise was brutal. Wearing a sports bra helped a little, but it felt impossible to do anything with my arms. Running was out. Indoor rowing is my exercise of choice, and I tolerated the pain so that I could feel a little better because exercise helps with PMS. I also changed my diet, and that helped slightly. But month to month and moment to moment, I felt desperate.
Eventually, I considered surgery to make my breasts a lot smaller. I didn’t want to remove them completely, but carrying that weight around felt impossible. Smaller breasts felt like a real possibility for pain relief. I spoke to a gynecologist and had countless breast exams, but they found no issues and just noted that my breasts had a lot of tissue and were more prone to inflammation.
Finally, during one routine appointment, as I was leaving the doctor’s office, my doctor recommended that I try taking evening primrose oil. She picked up her laptop and showed me what it looked like.
And thereafter, evening primrose oil changed my life. I now experience only mild pain right before my period, but if I’m consistent about taking it every day, I don’t feel any pain at all. It felt like a miracle. I don’t feel like I need surgery anymore, and I exercise without any problems. My swelling and inflammation is basically nonexistent.
You can find evening primrose oil at just about any pharmacy and the price varies. I found it much cheaper online than on the pharmacy shelves. How long it takes for evening primrose oil to help with breast tenderness depends on your body. I started taking 1,000 mg every morning, and it worked almost immediately. The recommended dose of evening primrose oil for breast pain depends on what your nurse or doctor recommends. I find 1,000 mg to be perfect and haven’t had any issues with the myriad other medicines I take. There were no side effects that I could pinpoint, and the pill doesn’t have a taste or aftertaste.
So what is evening primrose oil actually and how does it work for breast pain?
Evening primrose oil is a dietary supplement made from the seeds of the evening primrose plant and is commonly used for premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and breast pain. It contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid the body uses to produce compounds involved in inflammation; researchers believe that GLA may help relieve breast pain by influencing this inflammatory process. Although evening primrose oil isn’t scientifically proven to provide breast pain relief, many people (including myself) have seen a major reduction in symptoms after taking the supplement. You can talk to your health care provider and make the best decision for your health and body.
If you’re experiencing breast pain, taking a supplement is not the first step. Talk to a nurse or doctor about it as soon as possible. It can mean that something more serious is going on. Ask your health care provider about evening primrose oil and whether they recommend it for you. It may not work for everyone, and it may take a little time, but this little juicy pill helped me see the power of herbal medicine and get my life back.
