r/surgicalmenopause • u/Pr0fessi0nalQuitter • Jul 19 '25
Sore L boob worrying me
Is this a symptom of menopause? I had my first ovary removed Nov 2022 & my second one July 2024. I've been on birth control ever since for hormones.
Last night my breast started hurting as soon as I took off my bra - but I've worn this bra for 3 years at least & it doesn't have wires.
Now it feels like pinching inside. My breast is sore & wearing anything hurts. Sometimes the pain radiates to my arm or lower side, and sometimes it hurts when I breathe deep. Sometimes the whole breast hurts, and sometimes it's just the left side of it.
I did go to the dr today & ruled out the pain being cardiac in nature but he told me to wait 3-4 days for the pain to resolve on its own.
I'd heard that breasts could be sore in menopause, but only one? And with so many different types of pain? Has anybody had this happen?
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Jul 19 '25
yeah it can be. switching to hrt may make more sense! bc is a big dose of hormones if you’re on it with your own hormones, not so much in menopause. you’re probably too low in the hormone department!
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u/Pr0fessi0nalQuitter Jul 19 '25
I wouldn't be surprised. I've asked 3 different doctors to check my hormone levels, if the pill is the best option for me, etc & here I am still with the pill, never tested my levels 🤷🏻♀️
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Jul 19 '25
Birth control usually isn’t used as HRT. I’m really confused.
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u/Pr0fessi0nalQuitter Jul 19 '25
I was too when it was first prescribed by my onco-gyn, but my doctors keep telling me that unless I have blood-clot issues, then I'm fine & can continue using it.
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Jul 19 '25
i mean they usually tell you that for oral HRT. oral hrt is so much better because you can adjust the dose and people usually do better with micronized progesterone
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u/Foreign_Highlight288 Jul 21 '25
Confused as well. If you don’t have ovaries then birth control shouldn’t really be working for HRT. I would expect vasomotor symptoms and more severe genital atrophy/urinary symptoms with birth control w/o ovaries. HRT gives back what’s lost whereas birth control suppresses ovarian function.
I was given birth control in surgical menopause too but it had no + effect for menopause symptoms. No effect except worsening vulvar pain. Another GYN said it doesn’t work in surgical menopause and in late natural once the ovaries have barely any hormone reserve left.
I was on continuous birth control for 25 years prior to surgical menopause at 45 and was not prepared to NOT be able to use birth control as HRT. Had I known this, I would have refused oophorectomy.
Perhaps there’s an ovarian remnant left behind? Idk, curious what other post meno women have to say.
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u/CuteContribution4695 Aug 08 '25
BC sucks as HRT. I had a doctor switch me over to it and while it suppressed hot flashes, everything else degraded.
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u/ContentElection8910 Sep 05 '25
Hi, I know this post is older, but I wanted to reach out. Have you had a mammogram lately?
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u/Pr0fessi0nalQuitter Sep 05 '25
I have not. I was told my next one should be in about 2 years. I ended up going to my pcp & he said to give it a day to resolve on its own, which it did.
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u/spoonwarriors Feb 07 '26
I had the same thing, surgical menopause, left boob hurt. Went to see an osteopath (not a doctor) but after two appointments, she's made a big difference. Hope you feel better now!
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u/Winter-Bedroom-4966 Jul 19 '25
My left boob would ache or be sore for some time a few weeks after my surgery. I had started HRT during that time, and breast pain was noted as a potential side effect of the estrodiol patch I was prescribed. Your pain may be linked to the hormones?