"Up to 70 percent of women in the West experience breast changes that fluctuate with their menstrual cycles. Their breasts can feel so tender, swollen and/or lumpy that the discomfort is unbearable. Some women complain that they can't bear to be hugged, and find sleeping very difficult because they can't get comfortable.

Are there any symptoms?
"The symptoms are grouped under a variety of different umbrella terms, including cyclical breast pain, cyclical mastalgia (which literally means breast pain), cyclical mastitis or fibrocystic breast disease. Despite their severity and the disruption they can cause, most breast problems are benign, not cancer. However, don't be tempted to ignore them. Any unusual changes in your breasts should be reported to your doctor.

What can cause you to have fibrocystic breasts?
"Because the symptoms are linked to the cycle then it could be easy to say that the breast tenderness and lumpiness are 'caused' by the hormone changes in the cycle. But it is interesting to note that women who live in Asian countries like Japan don't experience the same degree of breast changes, although they have the same hormones circulating each month. (1) What's the main difference between Eastern and Western women?..."