Can fibrocystic changes occur only in one breast?

Hi Lyssa645,

I used to post to this site obsessively because I had fibrocystic changes in my left breast and not the right. They found four cysts in the left breast and none in the right. I was convinced I had IBC as everything you read online tells you that you don't get fibrocystic changes in only one breast (and the left breast was swollen compared to the other). I had many other symptoms going on and I was really in a bad place. Turns out my other symptoms were due to a chronic viral infection and had nothing to do with my breasts. Now, 6 months later, my right breast is just as swollen lumpy and painful as my left.

Bottom line, get it checked out. And because no one was able to reassure me with this information when I really needed it, yes, fibrocystic changes can start in one breast and not the other, though the other will likely catch up at some point. Try not to worry and have it checked out by your doctor to be sure.

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Of course! No two breasts, even on the same body, are exactly the same!

Edit: My right breast was ALWAYS the one with problems, resulting in additional mammograms, and, finally, the dx of bc. So, in my experience, one breast can be the issue, while the other one remains healthy.