Symptoms include breast pain or discomfort the week before menstruation. Breasts are usually tender and feel granular due to small microcysts, which may merge into a larger cyst that can be felt as a mass. The cysts may go away then recur with successive menstrual cycles. Oral contraceptives may be used for more severe cases. Of all breast masses that are surgically removed in adolescents, the most common type is the fibroadenoma.
Cancerous tumors are one of the least common types removed in adolescents.
It is a painless, rubbery, movable mass. More than one of these may be present. Your doctor may recommend surgical removal if the fibroadenoma is larger than 3 centimeters, since tumors that size may not go away on their own. If you feel a breast lump or mass see your doctor, who will examine your breasts carefully. For normal breast tissue nothing need be done.