For most girls, getting breasts is a big deal – some girls can’t wait to get them and others wish they would never show up. The most noticeable breast growth happens during puberty, which is the time when a girl’s body goes through the changes that make her a woman. Breasts come in many shapes and sizes and all of them can be normal.
Growing breasts
Women’s breasts are the body’s way of feeding a newborn baby. Breast development happens in stages. The first stage begins while the baby girl is still in her mother’s womb waiting to be born. During that time, the nipple and the beginning of the milk duct system starts to grow, even though the girl’s breasts are still very flat.
As a girl grows up and goes through puberty, she will first notice small bumps, known as breast buds, underneath her nipples. The darker circle of skin around the nipple, which is called the areola, may also get larger during this time. Chemicals in the blood called hormones tell the body when it is time for the breasts to start growing. For some girls, it’s normal for this to happen when they are eight years old. For other girls, it’s normal for breasts not to start growing until age 13. It’s also normal for some girl’s breasts to grow quickly and others to progress more slowly.
Normal breasts come in many shapes and sizes
Some girls think their breasts look pointy rather than round when they first start to grow. This is also normal. As the breasts fill out, they will become rounder and fuller. A girl’s breasts may continue to grow and change through her teen years and even into her twenties. Some girls also notice that one breast starts growing before the other, or that one seems larger than the other. This is also normal and in most cases breast size will even out by the time they are fully grown.
Many girls also try to compare their own breasts with their friends’ breasts. Just as all girls are not the same height and don’t have the same hair color, it’s normal for their breasts not to look exactly the same. It is common for many girls to have breasts that are similar in size and shape to their mother’s breasts. It’s also normal for a girl who has more body fat to have larger breasts and a very thin girl to have smaller breasts. Magazines and television shows may make it seem like large breasts are the only “right size”, but the truth is that there is no correct or perfect size for breasts. Breasts can be healthy and do their job of providing milk for a baby whether they are small or large or somewhere in between.
Monthly breast changes
When a girl gets her period, she may also notice that her breasts become tender and may feel slightly swollen or even lumpy. This is a normal way that the breasts react to the changes in hormone levels during the monthly menstrual cycle. Because a teen’s breasts are growing and changing, it is not uncommon to find a lump in the breast. In most cases, lumps will go away on their own. But if you think you feel a lump in your breast, no matter what your age, see your doctor to make sure there is nothing to worry about.
Sources:
Kids Health
Ohio State University Medical Center
Living Strong