Q: Good morning Dr, please the tip of my breasts have been hurting. Please note that I made love with my husband during the unsafe period. What is wrong with me?

A: I’ve received a couple of questions on nipple pain. There are many different causes of nipple pain and they include:
• Given the fact that sexual intercourse happened just before the complaint of nipple pain, it may very well be that this led to the pain. Vigorous rubbing of the nipples can lead to pain. This would usually heal without incident and applying a moisturizer will help the process.
• Friction: In this case, not wearing a bra or wearing a poorly fitted bra during exercise routines may lead to rubbing of the nipples against the fabric and consequent soreness/pain. Wearing a proper
• Sensitivity to the weather (hot or cold), certain fabrics, detergents or even creams/lotions may lead to nipple pain. If this is caused by specific detergents or creams, you may have to change them.
• Hormonal changes as can occur close to a woman’s menstrual period. This pain will usually disappear after a few days.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding can also lead to this condition. In pregnancy, the pregnancy hormones lead to the nipples being extra sensitive and during breastfeeding, the baby may not latch on well to the nipple, there could be blocked ducts or mastitis or breast abscess etc leading to pain. During pregnancy, be sure to choose bras made with fabric that can ‘breath’ like cotton. And during breastfeeding, be sure to get help with making sure you know how to lput baby to the breast to prevent sore nipples etc.
• Cancer (Paget’s disease of the breast) can also be a cause of nipple pain.

So, where in doubt…especially if you have tried to rule out the causes above, please see your doctor.

I hope y’all had a great day.

Have a good night.