{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,17]],"date-time":"2026-10-17T05:27:03Z","timestamp":1792214823492,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]],"date-time":"2025-05-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1747008000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Breast tenderness and swelling are associated with premenstrual symptoms but are not well described in healthy women. In this 1-year prospective observational study, we examined daily breast tenderness and swelling to determine whether differences existed between normally ovulatory and ovulatory disturbed (short luteal phase and anovulatory) cycles in a cohort of community dwelling, non-smoking, healthy premenopausal women. Enrolment required two consecutive normal-length and normally ovulatory cycles by Quantitative Basal Temperature\u00a9 analysis. Women (n = 53) ages 20\u201341 recorded their daily breast experiences in the Menstrual Cycle Diary\u00a9 across an average of 13.6 cycles. In all 720 cycles, the median breast tenderness was 1.4 (on a 0\u20134 scale, range 0.0\u20133.0), in cycles with a mean length of 28.1 days (95% CI 27.5\u201328.8). Comparison of breast tenderness and breast size (changes from usual) parameters between all normally ovulatory cycles and all ovulatory disturbed cycles in the whole cohort showed significantly higher levels in normally ovulatory (luteal length \u226510 days) in both Breast Tenderness Score [intensity X duration in days; 6.0 (range 1.0\u201314.0) vs. 3.0 (0.0\u201311.0) (<jats:italic>P<\/jats:italic>=.005)] and breast size [4.0 (2.0\u20134.0) vs. 4.0 (0.0\u20134.0) (<jats:italic>P=.<\/jats:italic>034]). However, within-woman in the forty-seven women with both normally ovulatory and ovulatory disturbed cycles, breast tenderness (intensity, duration, and Breast Tenderness Score), did not differ between normally ovulatory cycles and cycles with ovulatory disturbances. This study also demonstrated that in all ovulatory cycles, the timing of breast tenderness increased in parallel with breast swelling; the maximum for both was in the late luteal phase.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0321205","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]],"date-time":"2025-05-12T17:48:39Z","timestamp":1747072119000},"page":"e0321205","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Breast tenderness and swelling experiences related to menstrual cycles and ovulation in healthy premenopausal women: Secondary analysis of the 1-year \u201cProspective Ovulation Cohort\u201d"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Mary","family":"Wood","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sonia","family":"Shirin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Azita","family":"Goshtasebi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3232-0597","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Jerilynn C.","family":"Prior","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,12]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0321205.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.3109\/01674820109049956","article-title":"Cyclical mastalgia: prevalence and associated health and behavioral factors","volume":"22","author":"DN Ader","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Psychosomatic Obstetrics Gynaecol"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0321205.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"126","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9378(97)70450-2","article-title":"Prevalence and impact of cyclic mastalgia in a United States clinic-based sample","volume":"177","author":"DN Ader","year":"1997","journal-title":"Am J Obstet Gynecol"},{"issue":"7298","key":"pone.0321205.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(63)90063-1","article-title":"The prevalence of common menstrual symptoms","volume":"282","author":"N Kessel","year":"1963","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0321205.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1016\/0022-3999(69)90017-8","article-title":"Fluctuations in symptoms and moods during the menstrual cycle","volume":"13","author":"RH Moos","year":"1969","journal-title":"Journal of Psychosomatic Research"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0321205.ref005","first-page":"623","article-title":"Effect of a low-fat diet on hormone levels in women with cystic breast disease. 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