pregnant w/diffuse breast tenderness in 1 breast

[renie]

I am 25 weeks pregnant and since the beginning of pregnancy I have had breast tenderness that waxed and waned but worse on the left side..I have very tender spots throughout my left breast and slight tenderness in my right..I notice that it is sore to sleep on my left breast though..this is also the breast I ahve had the swollen gland in my axilla..could this be related? I ahve had 2 ultrasounds on the lymph node in my axilla and it has remained stable..my doctor also sent me to have a breast ultrasound and it was negative..is this type of tenderness worrisome?

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear renie:  Breast tenderness is common (and not always symmetrical) during pregnancy.  Breast tenderness is not a common sign of breast cancer.  This tenderness is not worrisome.

[surgeon]

As some professor said when I was in med school: rare things are rare and common things are common. Breast tenderness is common in pregnancy, and is not always symmetrical. Breast cancer would be a very rare cause of what you describe.