During puberty, the breasts can become tender and swollen in both boys and girls. Although it can be painful, swollen breasts in children is a benign and ordinary condition brought on by changes in hormones, among other reasons, notes MayoClinic.com. If your child has swollen or tender breasts for reasons other than hormonal changes or other conditions such as gynecomastia, which is the growth of breast tissue in males, consult your family physician.
Hormones
Breast tenderness in girls happens when their hormones change and they start to develop breasts. It is not uncommon for boys to also experience swollen or tender breasts when undergoing puberty. According to "The New York Times," breast swelling and tenderness can be a part of a boy's normal development due to hormone changes, similar to breast tenderness in women. The children's health website Cyh.com adds that about 65 percent of all boys will have some breast tissue at some time during puberty, and that breast tissue will be gone by the time a boy is 20 years old unless he is overweight.
Gynecomastia
In some boys and men, medications, hormone changes and other health conditions can cause gynecomastia, the enlargement of breast tissue in males, which can cause breast tenderness. According to MayoClinic.com, gynecomastia isn't a serious problem, but can be embarrassing. Most of the time, gynecomastia will go away on its own, but sometimes medications that help balance hormone levels and surgery to remove breast tissue are used to correct it.
Hypogonadism
In some boys, undescended testicles and testicular damage from mumps can cause hypogonadism, a condition when a male produces low levels of testosterone and can cause breast tenderness and the aforementioned gynecomastia.
Treatment
For most cases of breast tenderness in children, the only real treatment is time as hormones will regulate through puberty. For some conditions such as gynecomastia and hypogonadism, medication or even surgery can alleviate problems.
Considerations
As a parent, comforting a child that has breast tenderness can help her self-esteem as many conditions can become embarrassing during a young age. To help comfort a child experiencing breast tenderness, Cyh.com suggests reminding her that other people will not notice it and other children at that age experience the same thing. Also, wearing swim tops or T-shirts when swimming can cover the breasts and talking to a doctor can help put the child's mind at rest.
