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Home › Articles › Issues for Mom › Are Those My Breasts?

Are Those My Breasts?

A Lifetime of Changes

By Teri Brown

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

  • Connective tissue supports the breast.
  • Blood nourishes the breast tissue and provides the nutrients needed to make milk.
  • Lymph removes waste from the breast.
  • Nerves make the breast sensitive to touch and allow the baby's suck to stimulate the release of hormones that trigger the letdown and production of milk.
  • Fatty tissue offers protection from injury.

    "Breast growth occurs in two phases of a woman's life: during puberty and during pregnancy," Buchanan says. "Hormones strongly influence the growth of the breasts. In addition, breast size is related to overall body mass index and may fluctuate as the woman's weight changes."

    Pregnancy Changes
    Breasts are often sore right before menses because of hormone fluctuations. Some women experience a painful bruised sensation in just one breast, while others experience the tenderness in both breasts. At any rate, some women who find this very uncomfortable are often prescribed a birth control pill to alleviate it, while in others the birth control pill is thought to cause it. The medical community is still uncertain as to all the ways hormone fluxes affect the body.

    Other than puberty when your breasts are developing, there is perhaps no greater change in your breasts than when you are pregnant. Buchanan says these changes occur as your breasts are getting ready to produce milk. "During pregnancy, many women notice significant changes in their breasts," she says. "The breasts increase in size and become more tender. The Montgomery glands surrounding the areola (the pigmented region around the nipple) become darker and more prominet. The areola itself darkens, which is thought to serve as a target to help the baby locate the center of the breast. By the fifth or sixth month of pregnancy, the breasts are fully capable of producing milk."


    Pages:  1  2  3  4  

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