Hi Rosie, like you I found a lump in my breast in Nov 2022 and it is the same as you have described your lump, when I went to the doctors the first time I had an experience like this, the doctor told me to come back after my period was over but I never made a second appointment because I though the lump had disappeared and I assumed everything was fine as the doctor didn’t seem concerned. I noticed the lump again around feb but as I said I just assumed it was nothing serious as it came and went before. I became worried about the lump recently so I went back to the GP as I noticed it was constantly there and causing pain within my breast tissue, It’s worth mentioning that I’m only 21 myself but the second time I went to see the GP she referred me straight away as the lump has grown and was causing discomfort in my breasts.

I do have a family history of breast cancer (mum and grandma) and since the lump has grown in size and it is constantly there perhaps that it why the GP referred me. But what I would suggest being persistent with the GP. I wasn’t and I’m now regretting it as I constantly find myself being stressed about it being there. 

My appointment at the breast clinic is tomorrow and I hope that the next time you see the GP they take you seriously, you know your body and if something doesn’t feel right it’s worth getting it checked. Something else that may put your mind at ease is that the most common type of breast lumps in young women are often cysts or fibroadenomas which are benign. 

I hope everything goes well for you xx

Hi LondonJ, I’m so sorry you’re going through a similar thing. It’s not very nice at all (even when it’s nothing).  As far as I’m aware, I don’t have an immediate family history of breast cancer but my mum has had a few scares the last couple of years and is prone to quite big and painful cysts as she’s going through the menopause. I think the anxiety we had around that as a family has definitely made me feel slightly worse about what I’ve felt in my breast :((. Luckily my GP said she would book me in for a second appointment which I think I’m going to go to even if the lump does disappear after my period just to be super safe, especially with you saying yours disappeared and came back. I hope your appointment goes okay today though and that it’s nothing to worry about. You’ll have to let us know how it went (if you’re comfortable with that). Think I just need that sort of confirmation/peace of mind as well so hopefully I can be referred in a few weeks if need be because I think I’ll just be constantly worrying about it if not. I can’t concentrate on anything else at the moment haha. Thank you!! xx

I totally understand how you feel, it’s like once you’ve felt it your always thinking about it and thinking the worse even though I think it’s about 80% of breast lumps turn out to be benign. But it’s good that you’re gonna go to your follow up appointment, I highly encourage you to even if you find the lump gets smaller or disappears it’s always better to get it checked. 

My appointments at 3:20 and I’m so nervous I’m just praying it’s nothing too serious. My lump seems almost identical to yours from the way you’ve described it, only mine is slightly bigger mine is around 4cm and normally things like smoothness, mobility & regular boarders point towards it being benign, but this isn’t always the case so definitely get it checked again after your period. 

Hopefully I will be able to update later with good news! As I said before most breast lumps in young women tend to be cysts or Fibroadenomas so I just hope that is the case for us both xx

Awhh I hope it went okay!! I managed to get another doctor’s appointment tomorrow with somebody else because I have been panicking about it so much haha. My mum actually rang the breast clinic at the hospital and they were so confused that the doctor told me they would reject my referral because of my age. This was just more of an incentive for me to go back sooner and demand a referral. Hopefully I can persuade the other doctor tomorrow to put one through because I’ll have to wait another two weeks for a referral appointment anyway which I hadn’t realised. Definitely best to get it sorted sooner rather than later then. But me too!! Hopefully it’s all okay for both of us xxxx

Hiya Rosie, 

Good to hear that you’ve managed to get another appointment, it is strange that the first time you went your doctor they wouldn’t refer you at all, it is unlikely to get breast cancer so young but not impossible so it’s disheartening to hear that the doctor didn’t take your concerns seriously. I hope your appointment tomorrow goes more successfully and you manage to get a referral. For most urgent referrals you should be seen within 2 weeks, mine was 2 weeks to the day of my appointment with the GP but yours could be sooner so try not to worry.

The doctor I saw today at the hospital said to me even though most breast lumps turn out to be nothing it is always worth getting them checked so well done for being persistent! My appointment went well, it was a fibroadenoma like I suspected. My GP said my lump was around 4cm but the ultrasound I had today revealed it was only 1.7cm so it always worth going to the breast clinic to see a specialist. 

I hope everything goes well for you tomorrow, feel free to update after your appointment if you feel comfortable doing so xxxx

Hope I haven’t scared you ladies by suggesting  that you push for referral to breast clinic . At your ages it’s likely to be nothing sinister but it’s just not worth taking a chance xx

Hi LCR 

No not at all, it’s always good to receive advice from people who have been through similar. My appointment at the breast clinic confirmed a fibroenenoma so that was the best possible result. 

Thank you for your kind words and your advice. The doctor even said to me that even tho most lumps turn out to be benign it’s always worth getting them checked xx

Hey LondonJ, I’m really glad you got to see a specialist and it’s nothing to worry about!! Definitely sounds like a big relief. I went to my other appointment today and the other doctor didn’t even try to feel my lump haha. I think she knew from the record that my previous doctor had written that I was quite anxious and would just request a referral. She thinks it’s absolutely nothing to worry about and the lump is getting smaller (I think haha) but she said she’ll refer me anyway just for peace of mind. I should get an appointment in two weeks which I’m going to go to even if the lump disappears just to be super sure but I’m sure I’ll update the forum anyway. Thank you for your reassurance the last few days :)) xxxx

No I think you’re totally right, it’s always best to check just to be 110% sure. Especially if you’re a worrier like me :D. Thank you!! xx

Hiya Rosie, 

So glad to hear this! and yes definitely make sure you go even if the lump goes away just to make sure and for extra peace of mind. Another thing that might make you feel better is that most benign lumps tend to change size during different points of your menstrual cycle so the fact that you think your lump is getting smaller is a good sign and absolutely no problem at all, I know how scary it is when you find a lump, you automatically think the worst but most of the time especially in girls as young as us it turns out to be nothing sinister. 

I wish you all the very best and hope you get a positive result at the clinic! If you have any other questions don’t be afraid to ask :) xxxx

Yes that is very true!! I’ve had some cycle issues with my breasts in the past too so it’s no doubt probably something to do with that. Like you said though, you automatically just think of the worst don’t you. Writing on here has definitely given me some peace of mind though and hopefully it’s all clear in a few weeks. 

Thank you!! You too!! Take care of yourself!! :)) xxxx

Yes that is very true!! I’ve had some cycle issues with my breasts in the past too so it’s no doubt probably something to do with that. Like you said though, you automatically just think of the worst don’t you. Writing on here has definitely given me some peace of mind though and hopefully it’s all clear in a few weeks. 

Thank you!! You too!! Take care of yourself!! :)) xxxx

I would say so, most lumps and changes in the breast in young women tend to be linked with hormones and your cycle, doesn’t make it any less nervy though and it’s always worth getting it checked. I was like 90% sure my lump was a fibroadenoma but there’s always that small part of you that thinks the worst. 
 

you too lovely, hopefully this has made you feel more at ease :) xxxx

what made you think yours was fibroadenoma? Does it feel a certain way? Sorry I’m driving myself crazy waiting for my appointment xxx

No worries I don’t mind explaining :) 

My lump is hard like yours and it feels smooth when I touch it, it’s also very well defined in the breast, it kind of feels like a little round ball, my fibroadenoma is quite close to my skin so I can feel it all the way round. It feels like it is attached to some sort of tissue or lobular in my breast where I assume it’s grown from but it’s not fixed to that spot, it’s very mobile I can move it up & down and side to side 

From what you’ve described with your lump it sounds pretty similar to mine and with your age and considering you have no other symptoms I’m pretty confident you too have a fibroadenoma, they are the most common cause of breast lumps for people aged 14-35 but definitely make sure to still go along to your appointment. If you have any more questions or what to know what to expect at your appointment at the clinic just ask :) xxx

Hiya Steph, I’ve just realised I wrote a response to the original post and not yours, my apologies! But I’ve explained what my lump feels like in that so I hope that helps. I believe your post was about having more than 1 lump wasn’t it? Don’t worry that can be quite common with benign lumps such as fibroadenomas and cysts, the specialist told me you could have upwards of 5 or 6 all in 1 breast. Sorry for the confusion on my original response but I’ve wrote down on it the features of my lump and as I said I’m confident yours will either be a fibroadenoma or a cyst as these are common causes of breast lumps under the age of 40 but definitely still go to your appointment, always best to get these things checked out even just to be safe xxx

Hey LondonJ, I was just wondering what happened at your appointment? Did they take a biopsy or tag the lump? Also, I’m assuming yours is still there? Did they offer to remove it or did they just tell you to leave it? Sorry for all the questions!! It’s been a week since I found mine and my period has been and gone and my lump is still there so I’m just worrying slightly haha. Like do fibroadenomas usually just stay where they are and it’s all fine? xx

So sorry Rosie I’ve only just seen this! Don’t worry about asking questions I’m happy to answer :) 

They didn’t biopsy or tag my lump, the sonographer said she could tell by the way it looked on ultrasound it was a fibroadenoma, she also got the opinion of the specialist and he confirmed I wouldn’t need a biopsy because he was happy it showed all the features of being benign.

My lump doesn’t change much with my period tbh with you, it can become slightly bigger and sometimes it’s tender but it still remains after my period. The specialist said mine is closer to my skin so this is probably the reason I can feel it all the time. He said that because it is only 1.7cm they recommend to leave it where it is, you can request to have them removed if you want to but he told me that the guidance normally suggest they only removed them if they grow upwards of 3.5cm. They are safe to leave as they are as they normally decrease in size over a few months to a few years. The specialist told me to come back if I noticed any changes, eg increased size or any new lumps but they normally grow to be about 2.5cm on average and they can remain this size for a while and then slowly start to decrease.

As I said mine is there constantly whether I’m on my period or not so don’t worry about your lump still being there after your period mine is exactly the same, but still get it checked out. At first I wanted mine removed but when he explained to me that it’s better to leave it in I decided against having it removed as it’s more than likely it will disappear on it’s own over time and I just felt it wasn’t worth having surgery when it doesn’t really cause any problems xx

Hey LondonJ,

Thanks for getting back to me and sorry for replying so late. I haven’t been very well aha!!

That’s good about your lump/appointment!! It made me feel a bit better about mine today. For some reason when I went, they hadn’t actually referred me for a scan. The GP had just referred me for a specialist to feel it because I was a new patient. She could definitely see it and feel it so she sent me for an ultrasound just after and thankfully they said they weren’t worried about it. They said it looked like a sebaceous cyst or a blocked oil gland. They didn’t tell me the size but it looked much bigger on the screen (I’m sure that was just the projection though haha). I’m so relieved!! Mine was the same as you, they didn’t tag, biopsy, or remove it. They just said to keep an eye on it because they usually go away on their own over 6 months to a year. 

I’m so glad I went though. I thought because of how small it felt that they would laugh me out of there for being so dramatic but luckily everyone was really nice and I feel a lot better now that it was scanned and I could see it. 

Thank you for easing my worry!! I wish you all the best in the future. 

Rosie xxxx

Hiya Rosie, 

Brilliant news! So glad everything went well for you and everything turned out okay I can imagine how relieved you feel and yeah they do often look bigger on ultrasound than they actually are and I felt the exact same going to my appointment, I thought because of my age that they would think I was silly for going but the specialist said to me that regardless of age or size of the lump you should always get them checked because it’s better to be safe rather than chance these types of things, obviously things like breast cancer are unlikely in younger people but not impossible so it’s always worth checking your breasts and addressing any differences with your doctor. 

Again so glad everything went well for you and you got a positive result from your appointment. Now finally you can relax :) wishing you the best xxxx