Benign breast lumps
Your health experts: Mr Giles Davies, Consultant Breast Surgeon and Dr Samantha Wild, Clinical Lead for Women’s Health and Bupa GP
Content editor review by Rachael Mayfield-Blake, May 2022
Next review due May 2025
Benign breast lumps are swellings or areas of thicker tissue in your breasts that are non-cancerous. It’s important to see your GP if you find a lump in your breast or notice any unusual breast symptoms.
About breasts and breast lumps
The size and shape of breasts vary, and everyone’s breasts are different. They’re mostly made up of fatty tissue and glandular tissue. Glandular tissue produces milk if you’re breastfeeding. Tiny tubes called milk ducts carry milk from the glandular tissue to the nipple. A 'tail' of breast tissue goes up into your armpit.
Breasts are affected by hormones. If you have periods, they change size and shape throughout your monthly cycle. This also happens if you get pregnant. This means breasts can feel tender, heavy, and lumpy. This usually happens just before your period and goes back to normal once your period starts. It’s normal to feel lumpy areas in your breasts, which come and go as your hormones change. But, if a lump appears and doesn’t go, see your GP for advice.
Everyone, including men, women, and transgender people, can get breast lumps.
Types of benign breast lumps
There are many different types of benign breast lump. Most are either fibroadenomas or cysts.
- Fibroadenomas. These are solid growths of tissue, which may move underneath your fingers when you check your breast. They’re not sore when you touch them. Fibroadenomas are the most common type of benign breast lump and you’re most likely to get one when you’re under 30.
- Cysts. These are round sacs of fluid that can build up in your breast tissue. You can have one or more cysts and they vary in size. You’re most likely to get them after 35 and they can come and go.
Other, less common, causes of benign breast lumps include the following.
- Breast infection (mastitis or an abscess). This can develop if you’re breastfeeding and may be painful and cause breast lumps and swelling.
- Phyllodes tumour. This is a type of breast lump that’s usually benign. But some types can grow and come back if they aren’t removed completely. Very rarely, they can become a type of cancer. You’re most likely to get this type of benign breast lump between 40 and 50.
- Fat necrosis. These are firm lumps that are usually due to scar tissue forming after an injury to your breast. It’s most common in people with large breasts.
- Sclerosing adenosis. This is usually a small, firm, and painful lump. This type of lump is sometimes found on a mammogram during breast screening. You can develop sclerosing adenosis at any age, but it’s more common in your 30s or 40s.
- Duct ectasia. This benign breast lump can develop around the time of the menopause, if the ducts under your nipples get blocked. This can cause your nipple to turn inwards and sometimes a lump may develop under it. You may have a blood-stained discharge from your nipple too.
- Intraductal papilloma. Wart-like lumps (papillomas) form within one or more of the ducts just behind your nipple. You may also have a blood-stained discharge coming out of your nipple. Intraductal papilloma is most common in women over 40.
- Gynaecomastia. This is where breast tissue starts to grow in men because of an imbalance between the hormones oestrogen and testosterone. It can make your breast tissue feel lumpy underneath your nipple and your breast may get bigger. Lumps can develop in one or both breasts and can sometimes be tender and sore.
Causes of benign breast lumps
Benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps can develop for different reasons.
- Changes in hormones. Your hormone levels can affect your breasts and may cause cysts, fibroadenoma and the lumps that come and go before and during your period. In men, an imbalance between the hormones oestrogen and testosterone can cause a breast lump due to gynaecomastia.
- Injury to your breast, which can lead to fat necrosis.
- Problems during breastfeeding, which may lead to infection (mastitis) or an abscess.
Symptoms of benign breast lumps
Benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps can appear anywhere in your breast. They may or may not be painful, and can be large or small. Sometimes, a lump can develop alongside other symptoms.
See your GP if you develop any of the following symptoms.
- A lump or thickening in your breast or armpit.
- A change in the size, shape or feel of your breasts.
- Dimpling, puckering, a rash or redness of the skin on your breast.
- A change in the shape or position of your nipple – for instance, if it starts turning inwards towards your breast (becomes inverted).
- Discharge from one or both nipples.
- Pain that doesn’t go away in one part of your breast or armpit.
Although most breast lumps are benign, these symptoms can sometimes be a sign of breast cancer. So, if you notice any unusual symptoms, get checked by a doctor as it can be difficult to tell from how a lump looks and feels if it’s benign or cancerous.
Diagnosis of benign breast lumps
You might feel a lump in your breasts when you’re checking them. Or a routine breast screening mammogram might discover a lump you hadn’t noticed.
Your GP will ask you about your symptoms and examine you. They may also ask you about your family history and if a close relative has had breast cancer.
Your GP may ask you to come back for another appointment at a different time in your menstrual cycle if they think the changes may be related to your hormones. This is because lumps can come and go at certain times in your cycle.
If you have a breast lump, you’ll usually need to have further tests to check whether the lump is caused by cancer or something else. Your GP will refer you to a doctor at a hospital or specialist breast clinic to have these tests. What tests you need will depend on what symptoms you have and your age. You may be asked to have:
- a mammogram - this is an X-ray of your breast
- ultrasound – this produces an image of the inside of your breast
- a fine needle aspiration or a core or excisional biopsy biopsy - this is a sample of cells or tissue that a doctor will take from the breast lump, which they’ll send to a lab to be tested
What should I do if I'm embarrassed to talk to my doctor?
Seeing a doctor when you're embarrassed | Watch in 2:08 minutes
Dr Naveen Puri talks about how to make it easier to see a doctor about a health issue when you are feeling embarrassed.
Hello, I am Dr Naveen Puri, I am one of the GPs within Bupa Health Clinics.
Today I want to speak to you about embarrassing problems you might have and what we can do if you attend one of our clinics.
I want you to know that many people feel embarrassed or concerned about speaking about certain things with their doctors, but I'm here to reassure you these are the kinds of things we deal with every day.
For me, looking at someone's bottom or their breasts or their genitalia is no different to looking at their nose or elbow.
And that's true for all doctors as we train for many years in these parts of the body and are very used to having these conversations with people just like you.
So what I would encourage you to do if you have any concerns from your perspective, be it a change in your bowel habit, be it a lump, a rash, a swelling. Something on your genitalia or a part of your body you're not particularly familiar with or feel uncomfortable discussing.
Please be assured your doctor has done it all before.
Some of the ways we find patients find it easier to speak to a doctor is to either tell the doctor you feel embarrassed up front. That way a doctor can make extra effort to make sure you feel comfortable.
Or some patients come to us with pieces of paper and will write the problem down and hand it to us. That way we can help with whatever is going on for you as well.
You may also find it helpful to ask for a specific doctor, someone you're familiar with in your practice. Or you might want to ask for a doctor of a specific gender, or background to your liking as well.
I'd also say, doctors do this every day so don't be alarmed if we ask you certain questions around your symptoms. It is purely so we can help you get the best outcome for your enquiry.
And then finally, feel free to use language that suits you as well. We don't expect you to know the medical words for things, or a name for your diagnosis. That's our job to find out for you.
So, take your time, see a doctor, and hopefully we can help put your mind at ease.
Treatment of benign breast lumps
Treatment for benign (non-cancerous) breast lumps depends on what type of lump you have. You won’t need any treatment for many lumps, unless you have symptoms or the lump is particularly big.
- You may not need any treatment if you have a fibroadenoma, unless it’s very large. If the lump is bigger than 4cm across, your doctor may suggest you have it removed.
- Cysts can be drained (aspirated) with a needle. Sometimes, cysts go away on their own without treatment.
- If you have an abscess or other infection, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics for you. You may need to have your abscess drained using a needle or a small incision (cut).
- If you have a phyllodes tumour, your doctor will recommend an operation to remove it. This is because they can develop into cancer.
- Fat necrosis lumps tend to disappear on their own without treatment.
- Sclerosing adenosis doesn’t usually need any treatment, unless you need painkillers for symptoms such as pain.
- If you have duct ectasia, you probably won’t need treatment, unless there’s a lot of discharge from your nipple, or your nipple is turned inwards. If this happens, you may need an operation to remove the blocked duct.
- If you have an intraductal papilloma, your doctor will probably recommend that you have a surgical procedure to remove the papilloma and the duct it’s lying in.
- If you have gynaecomastia, it may go away on its own and not need treatment. But if it’s painful, or you’re distressed by it, your doctor may recommend medicines or, sometimes, surgery.
Talk to your doctor for advice about which treatment is most suitable for you.
If you're pregnant
If you're pregnant, your breasts will change while your baby is developing, to get ready for breastfeeding. Your breasts may get bigger and feel sore and tender. Sometimes, benign breast lumps can develop or get bigger when you’re pregnant. Or a lump that was already there may be hidden as your breasts get bigger.
The most common breast lumps during pregnancy are:
- cysts
- fibroadenomas
- milk-filled cysts called galactocoeles
Breast cancer is rare during pregnancy. But if a breast lump is cancer, it can grow very quickly. So, if you do notice a breast lump when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, get it checked by a doctor as soon as you can.
Worried about breast health?
Book a breast check, which includes a mammogram† and get a picture of your current health with our breast health check.
To book or to make an enquiry, call us on 0370 218 8122∧
However, if you are concerned that you may have a lump, please book an urgent GP appointment for assessment, it may be more appropriate to refer you to a specialist.
Yes. The hormone changes due to menopause mean that the amount of glandular tissue in your breasts will decrease while the amount of fatty tissue will increase. This can make your breasts feel different, such as softer and less firm. As you come up to the menopause, you may find your breasts feel tender and lumpy – this often changes once you’re past the menopause.
Benign breast lumps are swellings or areas of thicker tissue in your breasts but they aren’t cancer. There are different types of benign breast lump. The most common types are fibroadenomas and cysts. If you find a lump in your breast, go and see your GP.
For more information, see our section: Types of benign breast lump.
There are different reasons why you may develop a benign (non-cancerous) breast lump. Your hormone levels can affect your breasts and may cause lumps such as cysts. If you injure your breast, it can cause a lump called fat necrosis.
For more information, see our section: Causes of benign breast lumps.
It depends on what type of breast lump you have – some can be painful. For example, sclerosing adenosis is usually a small, firm, and painful lump. Gynaecomastia is a breast lump that men can get; it can sometimes be tender and sore.
For more information, see our section: Types of benign breast lump.
Everyone, including men, women, and transgender people, can get breast lumps. Breasts are affected by hormones. So it’s normal to feel lumpy areas in your breasts that come and go as your hormones change. This usually happens just before your period and goes back to normal once your period starts. But if a lump appears and doesn’t go, see your GP for advice.
If you have a lump, it’s always best to go and see your GP so they can examine you. You may need some tests to check whether you have a non-cancerous (benign) lump or if it might be cancer. Tests may include a mammogram (X-ray of your breast) or a fine needle aspiration, but there are also other tests.
For more information, see our section: Diagnosis of benign breast lumps.
Breast screening and having a mammogram
A mammogram is an X-ray of your breasts that checks for signs of cancer.
Breast cancer
Breast lump biopsy
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