If your breasts become tender, swollen or lumpy during your menstrual cycle, you may be one of the millions of American women with fibrocystic breast disease (FBD). But don't let the term "disease" mislead you. It's more of an imbalance rather than a true disease, and a diagnosis encompasses both normal fluctuations in the breast tissue as well as benign abnormalities, such as cysts (or fluid-filled sacs).

The cause of fibrocystic breast disease isn't really understood. It's been linked to excess estrogen, but some doctors now believe the problem lies in how your body metabolizes estrogen. FBD was once thought to be a precursor to breast cancer and to interfere negatively with a woman's ability to breastfeed. Neither is the case. At least 50 percent of women have clinically lumpy breasts, and at least 90 percent have fibrocystic changes in their breast tissue.

Your breasts are glands, and their job is to produce secretions. During times of hormonal flux, such as before your period, your breasts may secrete more fluid. The fluid may collect in pockets of breast tissue, forming benign though sometimes painful cysts and causing inflammation. While not at a higher risk for breast cancer, women with FBD tend to have dense and lumpy breasts, making early detection of breast cancer difficult. And having repeated cysts may make a woman less likely to worry about new lumps that appear over time. That's a serious mistake. Any time you feel a lump in your breast, you should see your doctor.

A mammogram is the first step in making sure your lump is benign. Since mammograms may miss a certain percentage of cysts, a breast care specialist may also get a better image of your breasts with an ultrasound. If necessary, she may do a fine-needle biopsy, taking a sampling of cells. If your doctor confirms that your cyst is benign, she may leave it alone, or, if it causes pain, drain it.

While FBD is a common condition, your breasts shouldn't make you miserable. Robert Rountree, M.D., of Helios Health Center in Boulder, Colo., recommends the following simple, natural solutions to improve the health of your breasts - reducing your pain and inflammation and recurrence of cysts. But be patient. You may not see results for several months.

1. Eliminate all sources of caffeine in your diet. Caffeine is found in coffee (including decaffeinated), black and green tea, cola, chocolate and a number of over-the-counter drugs. While breast lumpiness may not improve, you should notice a decrease in breast tenderness within six months or more.
   

2. Limit saturated fats, namely red meat and dairy. Avoid products that use tropical oils, such as cookies, crackers and chips. Eat only low-fat dairy products, deep-sea fish and wild game. Be sure any poultry, eggs or red meat you eat is organic and from range-fed animals.
   

3. Avoid products that contain trans-fatty acids, especially margarine, since those oils have a pro-inflammatory effect.
   

4. Eat plenty of soy products and flaxseed meal. Soy products contain "healthy, estrogen-like substances that block the harmful effects of the body's internally produced estrogens," says Rountree. "And a combination of soy and flax together appears to be better than either one alone - flax meal in particular." Flaxseed contains several important fatty acids that can control inflammation.
   

5. Eat one serving of cruciferous vegetables every day - broccoli, cabbage and brussels sprouts. They contain I3C (indole-3-carbinol), which detoxifies estrogen, shifting it into less harmful metabolites, and can work to reduce breast pain and inflammation.

Additionally, Rountree recommends the following supplements:

1. Tocotrienols and vitamin E: taken in a daily dose of 50-100 mg. tocotrienols along with 100-200 IU of vitamin E. You may take higher doses of vitamin E, up to 400 IU two to three times daily. Rountree says both tocotrienols and vitamin E are useful for reducing cancer risk and appear to be help keep breast tissue healthy.
   

2. Gamma linolenic acid (GLA): available in evening primrose oil, black current seed oil and borage oil. GLA is a fatty acid that the body converts to a hormone-like substance, which ultimately has anti-inflammatory properties.
   

3. Antioxidants: vitamin E and C, beta-carotene, zinc and selenium. Antioxidants are purported to fight the effects of free radicals, which can cause severe cell damage.
   

For women with serious FBD, Rountree recommends di-indolemethane, a new supplement derived from the indole-3-carbinol found in broccoli. "You could get the same benefits from eating broccoli," he says, "but you would need to eat several pounds a day versus two capsules of the di-indolemethane." Ask your doctor about it.

A healthy body means healthy breasts. With that said, be sure to get plenty of exercise and eat a nutritious, low-fat diet. And carefully examine your breasts every month, alerting your doctor to any lumps, pain or discomfort.