Breasts are peculiar things; often, it is almost as if they have a mind of their own. Seemingly overnight breasts can change their size, shape, and density, leaving you a bit puzzled when you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror.
Breasts change several times throughout a woman’s life, long after they form during puberty. Sometimes, they change multiple times during the same month, making it temporarily look like you’ve just had breast augmentation in Toronto to increase or decrease your cup size.
Here are some of the many reasons that breasts change over time.
Weight Fluctuation
Our body’s weight can constantly be in flux, leading us to go through periods where we gain, lose, and regain weight on a reoccurring basis. These can be due to dietary reasons, hormonal changes, or just plain old genetics. Breast tissue is predominately made of fat tissue, so fluctuations in weight, either up or down, can increase or decrease the breasts’ size.
Increased blood flow can cause breasts to expand temporarily. During sex, factors like arousal, physical stimulation, and increased heart rate contribute to increasing the blood flow in the breasts. It is theorized that the size increase can be anywhere between 15-25%, which would make for very noticeable results. However, these results are only temporary, and once the blow flow levels return to normal, as do the breasts.
Fitness – Cardio Vs. Strength Building
While weight fluctuations have already been touched on, there’s also a point to be made about underlying muscle and its regard to breast size. Breast size can both appear to increase and decrease with different types of fitness levels.
As previously mentioned, breasts are primarily fatty tissues, so increased cardio levels alone and the weight loss associated with it may end up decreasing a person’s overall breast size. However, in contrast, exercises related to strength building in the chest region can tone and build the muscles underlying the breast tissue. These workouts cause the muscles to get bigger and naturally lift and push up the breasts, creating an appearance of larger, perkier breasts.
Hormone Changes During the Menstrual Cycle
A huge component that affects breast size is related to hormones. During the menstrual cycle, significant changes to hormones start to occur, which can change the breasts’ shape, size, and texture. During the second half of the cycle, hormones are produced that stimulate milk glands; these glands then swell and increase the overall size of the breast. This can happen quickly enough that the breast may experience soreness and tenderness as well. Once the period cycle is over, the breast sizes typically return to normal.
Menopause
During menopause, estrogen levels can dramatically begin to drop. When these levels drop, tissues and glands in your breasts begin to shrink. Additionally, collagen and elastin in your skin also are decreased with age, meaning the skin above these glands can’t form as quickly to your body. This results in the breasts sagging down more and can take on a less full appearance.
