When Do Your Breasts Get Bigger?
There are two stages in your life when mother nature decides to reward you with bigger breasts; during puberty and pregnancy.
Breast development during puberty occurs in two phases:
1. The Estrogen Phase
2. The Progesterone Phase
The first phase of breast development,
which I call the Estrogen
Phase, occurs for one to two years
before menstruation begins.
Estrogen - along with prolactin and
growth hormone - stimulates all
the major parts of your breasts to
grow, including the glands, ducts,
connective tissue, and fatty tissue. Your body does not yet
produce progesterone; progesterone competes with estrogen
and would inhibit this stage of breast development.
The final phase of breast development,
which I call the
Progesterone Phase, starts after
you get your first period. After
you ovulate for the first time,
your body begins producing
progesterone during the Luteal
Phases (approximately Days 15-
28) of your menstrual cycles.
Progesterone now works alongside
estrogen, prolactin, and growth hormone to complete
the development of your breasts. Progesterone promotes
the final stages of gland formation, including the growth
of the alveoli - those hollow sacks that make and hold
milk. The entire process of breast development takes
three to four years and is usually complete by age sixteen.
By the way, boys grow boobs, too! About two-thirds
of all boys experience temporary breast growth, lasting
from several months to two years, during puberty. This is
known as gynecomastia and occurs before a boy produces
enough testosterone to block the effects of estrogen in his
system.
Your breasts are not considered fully developed until
you’ve given birth and produced milk. Breast changes
during pregnancy are primarily triggered by progesterone. Progesterone causes the breasts and areolas to
enlarge rapidly. As the glands and ducts increase in size,
your breasts give up some of their fat stores to make
room for the new “milk machinery.”
Although prolactin levels rise after the eighth week
of pregnancy, progesterone suppresses milk production
until after you’ve given birth. Then, prolactin levels peak
while estrogen, progesterone, and growth hormone levels
fall, triggering lactation, or milk production, to begin.
After you’re done nursing, the glands and ducts
shrink back down to their original size; however, your
breasts may end up even smaller than they were to begin
with! That is because the fat that was replaced by glands
and ducts during pregnancy doesn’t always come back.
Also, because the connective tissue was stretched to
accommodate your growing breasts, you’ve got another
problem on your hands: sagging.
Fortunately, a breast lift isn’t your only option.
Many mothers have had great success in bringing their
former breasts back to life. The Flat to Fab Breast
Enlargement Program can restore firmness and fullness
to your breasts, while increasing your cup size. If only
post-pregnancy weight loss was this easy!
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