Survey Shows Most U.S. Women Suffer from Premenstrual Breast Discomfort

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As the public focuses on breast health in advance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, newly released survey results find that most American women endure breast discomfort during their menstrual years, but do not know how to treat it or improve the health of their breasts.

Breast pain, a medical condition known as mastalgia, is typically caused by fibrocystic breast condition (FBC), which can cause soreness ranging from mild tenderness to severe pain that makes it difficult for affected women to even hug a loved one.

The survey, conducted by Harris Poll for specialty pharmaceutical company BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX), found that 68 percent of women between 25 and 45 years of age experience premenstrual breast discomfort. Nearly one in five (18 percent) of women in this age range report they suffer "most months." And 45 percent do not believe there is an effective way to alleviate the pain from this widespread problem.

The survey also found that 55 percent of women age 25 or older believe there is a link between breast cancer and breast density, which often results from FBC. Moreover, 61 percent of women in this age range do not believe there is any effective solution for reducing breast density and 48 percent do not believe there is any effective solution for alleviating premenstrual breast discomfort

"American doctors have done a great job educating women on the importance of early detection of breast cancer. The survey findings show that we can do a better job of educating them about breast health in general and what they can do to improve it," said Dr. Lisa Masterson, OB/GYN and co-host of "The Doctors." "Molecular iodine supplements can help women to improve their own breast health and reduce the symptoms of menstrual-related breast tenderness, swelling, aches and heaviness.

"In most cases, these symptoms will improve noticeably within 60 days of starting a daily molecular iodine regimen, such as supplements that are available without a prescription," she said. "Clinical research involving more than 1,300 patients has shown that up to 74 percent of women experienced improvement in their breast discomfort."

The BioPharmX survey found that some women who experience breast discomfort use over-the-counter analgesics. The top three treatments identified in the survey are ibuprofen (cited by 30 percent of women age 25 and over), massages (13 percent) and acetaminophen (11 percent).

"It's unfortunate that many women, who likely already take vitamins and supplements for a variety of health benefits do not know that molecular iodine supplements may significantly improve the health of their breasts by reducing fibrocystic breast tissue and the symptoms of mastalgia," said Dr. Masterson. "Taking one pill a day can help to end the discomfort and improve breast health."

BioPharmX, a Silicon Valley specialty pharmaceutical company, manufactures Violet®, a daily, non-prescription, non-hormone molecular iodine supplement to promote breast health and alleviate premenstrual breast discomfort. It is available at select retailers nationwide and online.

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online within the United States between July 31 and August 5, 2015, among 985 U.S. women ages 25 and older, among whom 400 are age 25-45, by Harris Poll on behalf of BioPharmX Corporation via its Quick Query omnibus product. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, the words "margin of error" are avoided as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100 percent response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in our surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the online panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About BioPharmX Corporation

BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX) is a Silicon Valley-based specialty pharmaceutical company, which seeks to provide products through proprietary platform technologies for prescription, over-the-counter (OTC), and supplement applications in the health and wellness markets, including women's health and dermatology. To learn more about BioPharmX, visit www.BioPharmX.com.

SOURCE BioPharmX

Related Links

http://www.biopharmx.com

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