Patient's question:
Patient Age: 34Detailed Condition and Purpose of Consultation: Menstrual pain for 10 years, breast enlargement with premenstrual pain for 6 years, significantly reduced menstrual flow for 6 months. Intermittent use of traditional Chinese medicine has been ineffective, with pronounced breast enlargement. Please advise an effective herbal formula.
Current General Condition: Good
Auxiliary Examinations: Ultrasound supports the diagnosis
Doctor's answer:
Hello! First, you need to understand that breast hyperplasia is a common non-inflammatory breast disease. In women aged 30 to 40, if they often experience menstrual disorders, infertility, or a history of miscarriages, they may develop lumps of varying sizes in both breasts. These lumps are firm but not hard, often occurring simultaneously or successively, with shapes that can be round or flat, scattered throughout the breast or localized to a specific quadrant. The lumps are not clearly demarcated from surrounding tissues and do not adhere to the skin; they can be moved when pushed. Three to four days before menstruation, the pain intensifies, the lumps enlarge, and after menstruation, the pain subsides or disappears, and the lumps shrink. Additionally, in clinical practice, breast hyperplasia in adolescent women is often lobular hyperplasia, while in post-lactation women, it is often ductal hyperplasia; in perimenopausal women, it is often cystic hyperplasia. Since breast hyperplasia can potentially lead to cancer, during the treatment process, patients must be followed up every three to six months for detailed reviews and dynamic observation. If the lump is located in the outer upper part of the breast, the likelihood of malignancy is high, and a pathological biopsy should be performed. Western medical treatment primarily involves surgical intervention. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the causes of this condition, apart from emotional stress damaging the spleen, leading to spleen deficiency and water dampness accumulation forming nodules, or anger damaging the liver, causing liver dysfunction and qi stagnation, are often related to imbalances in the Chong and Ren meridians. In treatment, different syndromes require different therapeutic principles and methods. Of course, there are also cases of liver-spleen imbalance. Some scholars advocate for soothing the liver, resolving qi stagnation, nourishing yin and calming the spirit, regulating the Chong and Ren meridians, and using a combination of attacking and reinforcing methods to achieve efficacy. Based on the symptoms you described, my thought process is as follows: treat the immediate issue first, then address the root cause, and since fluids and blood are interconnected (here, fluids and blood interconnected refers to a woman's normal menstrual blood during pregnancy or breastfeeding