• Question: is it true that girls only get bigger breasts while going through puberty

    Asked by nigel from mars to Saffron, Partha, Laura on 17 Jun 2015.
    • Photo: Laura Wales

      Laura Wales answered on 17 Jun 2015:

      No – girls can get bigger breasts at times other than puberty. Some girls go through puberty but breasts don’t develop for a number of years.

      Sometimes during a menstrual cycle, breasts can be bigger but then they go back to normal again.

      Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause changes in breast tissue and they can feel swollen. The rapid increase of oestrogen levels plays a big role in milk duct development and enlargement of the breasts in the second trimester.

      Also, not forgetting gaining weight in general can definitely increase the size of breasts – fat cells in the breasts will fill up but so will other parts of the body.

    • Photo: Saffron Whitehead

      Saffron Whitehead answered on 18 Jun 2015:

      There is also a condition known as ‘premature thelarche’ where very young children have some breast development. Usually there is no known cause for this and the development can fluctuate ie develop, then regress. It is not normally treated and normal puberty and breast development will proceed as expected

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