Starting to take the pill can stimulate the breasts to grow. However, any increase in size is typically slight. Within a few months of taking the pill, the breasts generally return to their regular size. This usually also happens if a person stops taking the pill.
Birth control pills may cause breast enlargement or tenderness. This side effect tends to improve a few weeks after starting the pill, but anyone who finds a lump in the breast or who has persistent pain or tenderness or severe breast pain should seek medical help.
It can happen during puberty, pregnancy or from taking medication. In some cases, it occurs spontaneously and for no reason. Gigantomastia is also referred to as macromastia. However, macromastia is usually defined as excess breast tissue that weighs less than 5 pounds.
Though large-scale reviews haven't found that the pill causes weight gain, it can change a woman's body shape and composition. There are three big reasons for this, and they have to do with muscle, fluid retention, and fat.
It's rare, but some women do gain a little bit of weight when they start taking birth control pills. It's often a temporary side effect that's due to fluid retention, not extra fat. A review of 44 studies showed no evidence that birth control pills caused weight gain in most women.
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.
Fibrocystic change, which is a very common condition characterized by benign lumps in one or both breasts, often emerges when women are in their 20s, says Jacobs. Women at this age might be dealing with changes in their menstrual cycles, which means differences in hormones like estrogen.
The doctor added: “Other factors such as the skin around the breast can have a big impact on the way breasts look, as we get older our skin loses elasticity, which can change the appearance of breasts, with women in their 20s to 30s.” So basically, your boobs can suddenly grow if your hormones levels change!
Because high doses of hormones generally increase the likelihood that your breasts will grow, a progestin-only pill or a combination birth control pill with no more than 20 micrograms (mcg) of estrogen might better fit your needs.
If your nipples change colour
As we get older, there is a tendency for the nipples to get darker, particularly in those who already have darker skin. But if nipples suddenly darken, it may be a sign of pregnancy, or other hormone changes, such as taking the contraceptive pill.
Some forms of birth control can cause weight gain and also an increase in breast size. When you stop taking hormonal birth control that caused these side effects the effects will go away which can lead to weight loss and also a decrease in breast size.
The breasts get bigger and rounder as the fatty tissue and milk-producing glands inside the breasts continue to grow. The areola also gets bigger and darker and the nipples may stick out. By the age of 17, a girl's breasts will usually be fully developed, although this may take a bit longer.
Breast Changes During Your 30s
In your 30s, breasts still retain much of their elasticity and firmness. However, it is not uncommon for some women to become prone to fibrocystic developments after this point. This refers to benign lumps that appear in the breasts, often related to hormonal fluctuations.
While sleeping braless, your position of sleep might affect your bosom but won't increase its size. If you sleep downward, sideways, or stomach on for a long time, the breast ligaments stretch over, causing sagginess.
Areolas can get bigger if you gain a significant amount of weight due to the stretching of the skin. The color may also lighten. If you then lose weight, the size may not change all that much (or at all), but the color may darken somewhat.
"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.
In a functional and aesthetic sense, the ideal breast size for a woman is generally considered to be one that's proportionate to their height, shoulder, and waist diameter. So, for women who measure 5'3, their breasts should complement the frame of their body and allow them to move freely without discomfort.
Stimulating, caressing or simply holding breasts sends nerve signals to the brain, which trigger the release of the 'cuddle hormone' called oxytocin, a neurochemical secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland in the brain.
Can birth control cause weight gain? “Patients often tell me that they think all birth control causes weight gain, but there is only one method, the progestin hormonal injection given every three months, that is linked to weight gain,” Dr. Stanwood says.
While taking birth control can make you gain weight and make it harder to lose weight, you're not destined to this fate because you want a reliable way to prevent pregnancy. Whether you gain weight also depends on the birth control you're using.
Once you stop taking birth control, you may notice that you drop a pound or two within a few weeks as fluid retention decreases, but it is unlikely that you will lose a substantial amount of weight, if any at all.
The hormone estrogen is produced by the ovaries in the first half of the menstrual cycle. It stimulates the growth of milk ducts in the breasts.