Cysts are not harmful or dangerous, but they are sometimes uncomfortable or painful. Often women find that their cyst(s) get tender or enlarged in the days before their period. Pushing on cysts can also make them tender.

What does pain from a breast cyst feel like?

Cysts can feel either soft or hard. When close to the surface of the breast, cysts can feel like a large blister, smooth on the outside, but fluid-filled on the inside. When they are deep in breast tissue, cysts will feel like hard lumps because they are covered with tissue.

Do breast cysts cause pain?

If a cyst is large enough to be felt, it's usually round and fairly movable under the skin. Cysts also can cause pain, tenderness, or lumpiness in the breast. Those symptoms may worsen and get better at different points in the menstrual cycle.