Pea sized lump in each armpit

[jenni1976]

I'm a 32 year old female and for the past month or so I have had extremely itchy armpits.  Then I started to notice that the upper part of my left armpit was slightly swollen.  I have since discovered a small pea sized hard lump in each armpit.  Is this something that I should be worried about?

Jenn

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Those pea-sized lumps you noticed on both armpits are probably axillary lymph nodes, which may have become enlarged as a result of the itching and inflammation in your armpits.  You probably don't need to worry about the nodes themselves.  They're a natural reaction of the body to inflammation and infection.  But you may need to have your armpit checked to see what's causing the itching.