Breast lumps are incredibly common and almost always noncancerous, which is why they are often referred to as benign. But they should be checked and monitored by a healthcare professional. The most common causes of benign breast lumps are changes in the breast tissue, breast infections known as mastitis, scar tissue from a breast injury, hormone fluctuations during a woman’s period, pregnancy or menopause, birth control pills and hormonal contraceptives, hormone replacement, and some women believe that drinking caffeinated beverages can cause breast tenderness and breast lumps, although they usually don’t warn you about that at Starbucks. There are at least seven different types of breast lumps: 1. Breast Cysts: lumps on the breasts that are caused by cysts filled with fluid. They can be tender, and they often go away without treatment. 2. Fibroadenomas: Noncancerous (benign) breast lumps. They are smooth, rounded, solid tumors that consist of fibrous tissue and glandular tissue. Simple fibroadenomas can shrink in size or disappear without treatment, but complex fibroadenomas might need to be removed. 3. Fibrocystic Breast Changes: This is when the fluctuating hormones in a woman’s body can make her breasts feel lumpy, dense and tender, especially right before she has her period. Fibrocystic Breast Changes usually go away without treatment. 4. Hyperplasia: This is an overgrowth of cells that line mammary ducts or glands. 5. Intraductal papilloma: These are small, wart-like growths that form inside the mammary duct near the nipple. They may cause a discharge from the nipple. 6. Mammary duct ectasia (AKA duct ectasia or periductal mastitis): This is an inflammation that causes a milk duct within the breast to widen and thicken. noncancerous breast condition causing inflammation (swelling) and a thickening of the milk ducts. and 7. Traumatic Fat Necrosi: These are breast lumps that form when scar tissue replaces breast tissue that’s been damaged by an injury, surgery or radiation therapy.