Puberty
Breast growth starts at puberty. The body decides when it's time to start producing more female hormones (estrogen). The estrogen is what causes the tissues in the breasts to start growing. At the beginning of puberty, the breasts will be small and dense. Milk ducts will start to form. This is often called the "budding" period. This can start in young girls as early as age seven or eight.
Growth Stages
Over the next five or six years after puberty and "budding" starts, the breasts go through three more stages of growth. In the first stage, the breasts start to take on a shape and become fuller. The tissue softens and becomes fatty. Next, the nipple and aerola (the area around the nipple) become larger. In the final stage, the breast tissue, nipples and aerola grow to their full size, and the breasts are made up of a combination of milk glands, breast tissue and fat. During the growth process, the breasts may tingle and be tender.
Once the breasts have grown to maturity, they can vary in size from a double A cup to double Fs or bigger. How big the breasts grow is determined mostly by genetics.
Pregnancy
When a woman becomes pregnant, her breast tissue grows to accommodate the milk that it will produce to feed the baby. The growth starts about two months into the pregnancy and will usually continue until the woman's breasts have gotten about one or two cup sizes bigger. The tissue expands to make room for the milk, called colostrum, which will begin to occupy the milk glands at the third month of pregnancy. The nipples will also get larger, and the aerolas will be wider and darker. Stretch marks may form on the breasts as they grow.
Weight Gain
Because breasts are made of fatty tissue, weight gain can also make them bigger. Fat deposits will usually go to the hips, stomach, thighs, and butt first, but they sometimes go to the breasts as well. However, gaining weight quickly, then losing it again can cause a woman's breasts to sag prematurely.
Tags: breast tissue, breasts have, breasts made, breasts start, growth starts, milk glands, will usually
