Technically, they don't. It's not age that makes your breast get bigger. It's weight gain—and people happen to gain weight as they age. Here are five other breast changes you might experience in your 40s and ways to prevent, slow, and manage them.
Rest assured boob growth with age is normal. According to Victoria Karlinsky-Bellini, MD, FACS, a New York-based cosmetic surgeon, it is often the result of fluctuating hormones as you go through perimenopause and menopause.
As females get older, their bodies start to produce less of the reproductive hormone estrogen than before. Estrogen stimulates the growth of breast tissue, while low levels of this hormone cause the mammary glands to shrink.
During perimenopause, the hormonal fluctuations are more dramatic. It is also common for breasts to get bigger or smaller or to change in shape during this period.
You may also notice that your breasts are a different size or shape than they were when you were younger. Changes to your breasts are a normal part of aging. Changes in firmness or size are very common, especially after menopause.
There's no specific age when your breasts will start to sag. It's common for some droop in your 40s and beyond, but many women experience saggy breasts earlier. If you're lucky enough to escape the droop in your 30s and 40s, you'll most likely notice changes in elasticity and fullness as menopause approaches.
Hormones are making your breasts sore.
Breasts become sore three to five days prior to the beginning of a menstrual period and stop hurting after it starts. This is due to a rise in estrogen and progesterone right before your period. These hormones cause your breasts to swell and can lead to tenderness.
"During perimenopause and menopause, there are hormonal fluctuations and eventually a drop in hormones that may cause weight gain," said Dr. Wider. "As a result, some of the weight gain can occur in the breasts, resulting in enlarged breasts."
The transition through menopause may cause several changes to the breasts, potentially affecting their shape, sagginess and texture. They might even noticeably increase in size, with many women going up by two bra sizes or more.
What to expect: Although aging in the skin occurs on a continuum, people in their 40s may start to see early thinning, wrinkling and sagging of their skin, along with a thinning of fat on their face, especially in the temples and mid cheeks.
Weight loss or weight gain
A woman's weight can have a big influence on the shape and size of their breasts. Weight affects the amount of fatty tissue within the breasts. Gaining weight increases the fatty tissue within the breast and results in breasts enlargement.
As you grow older, your breast tissue gradually becomes more fatty. Because fat has a different structure than breast tissue, this causes your breasts to become more droopy and saggy in your 40s. At this age, some women also develop fluid-filled cysts, in which fluid is trapped in breast ducts.
In general, breast development begins between the ages of 8 and 13. A girl's breasts are typically fully developed by age 17 or 18, however in some cases they can continue to grow into her early twenties.
Perimenopause can begin in some women in their 30s, but most often it starts in women ages 40 to 44.
Perimenopause is a process — a gradual transition. No one test or sign is enough to determine if you've entered perimenopause. Your doctor takes many things into consideration, including your age, menstrual history, and what symptoms or body changes you're experiencing.
The most common hormonal breast soreness comes from an increase in the level of oestrogen before a period. This causes milk ducts and glands to swell, trapping fluid in the breasts. Many women have tenderness or pain in the lead-up to a period, and sometimes right through it.
Hormone changes during the menstrual cycle may lead to breast swelling. More estrogen is made early in the cycle and it peaks just before mid-cycle. This causes the breast ducts to grow in size. The progesterone level peaks near the 21st day (in a 28-day cycle).
Typical breast cancer, when it is found, also doesn't cause pain. “If a tumor grows big enough that you can feel it, it will feel like a rock in your breast tissue.
Unfortunately, since breasts are not made up of muscles, it is not possible to firm up breast tissue with exercise. Breast lift surgery is the only way to bring back the original shape of the breasts. However, you can take certain measures to improve the overall appearance of your breasts.
"If you don't wear a bra, your breasts will sag," says Dr. Ross. "If there's a lack of proper, long-term support, breast tissue will stretch and become saggy, regardless of breast size." Still, both experts agree that multiple factors play into if and when sagging (technical term: "ptosis") occurs, bra-wearing aside.