Breasts are one of the first signs of puberty and many find this stage of development awkward and confusing to chat about. To help you learn everything there is to know about breasts and first bras, we’ve put together a few facts that will make everything clearer and less overwhelming.
" />Breasts are one of the first signs of puberty and many find this stage of development awkward and confusing to chat about. To help you learn everything there is to know about breasts and first bras, we’ve put together a few facts that will make everything clearer and less overwhelming.
For many, changes to how their breasts look and feel is a good indication puberty has arrived. Breast development, or to give it its technical name ‘thelarche’, starts with a small lump being noticed under the skin and behind the nipple about the size of a ten pence piece, its often called a breast bud. The average age for these changes to be noticed is around 10-12 years old, for some even younger.
Your final breast size is partially linked to your own unique body shape and partially inherited (genetics from both sides of your family). By your late teens your breasts will most likely be fully developed, but it’s important to know that throughout many life stages breasts can change in both shape and size.
It’s easy to get carried away with your new breast size and often we forget to ask what’s actually inside our breasts. Let’s take a closer look at parts of the breast and what they do!
SOME GIRLS ARE REALLY PROUD OF THEIR NEW SHAPE, WHILE OTHERS FEEL EMBARRASSED IF THEY DEVELOP BREASTS FIRST. EITHER WAY, JUST REMEMBER EVERYONE HITS PUBERTY AT DIFFERENT AGES AND NOWHERE DOES IT SAY ONE SIZE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER!
Breast development can start as early as 7 years old, or as late as 15, with the average being around 9-13, so please don’t worry if your friends start developing or wearing bras before you, we’re all different and we all develop at our own pace. It’s not a race!
It’s super common for breasts to grow in spurts and even remain at the same stage of development for a while, from a couple of months to a couple of years. It won’t have any impact on the final size of your breasts, so be patient!
No, breasts can continue to grow for a number of years after your first period’s arrived.
First, take a tape measure and take it around the top of your bust and make a note it of in centimetres (cm). Next, measure on your bust (the fullest part) and then directly under your bust and write them down. There are a few calculators online that you can use to give you a measurement or you could go into a shop’s lingerie department and give them your measurements or even be measured. You don’t have to be naked to do this and you get to shop for a bra straight away!
Because you carry the same genes as your parents, your final breast size will most likely be similar to the female members of your family; mothers, sisters, grandparents or aunts on either side of your family. As breasts contain a large proportion of fatty tissue, your overall body weight will affect your breast size too.
In a word, ‘No’.
Trust us, there’s nothing you can eat or drink that will change your natural breast size. Our best advice? Love your breasts just the way they are! You are truly unique, so embrace what you have!
Absolutely not, no size is better than any other. Your boob size is partly down to genetics, so you’re likely to take after your mum or dad’s side (weird right!) but it’s also true that no two breasts are exactly the same, they might differ in shape and size from one another, even when fully grown.
There are certain times in your life when your breasts will change in shape, for example during pregnancy, when they become fuller. Also, some forms of contraception can have an impact on breast size — it’s a hormone thing.
Not all boys feel this way, but unfortunately the media (magazines, newspapers, movies or TV) have in the past, and sometimes still do, shown fuller breasts as something females should have to be more attractive to males. Of course, we know it’s not true, but for young, impressionable boys who view these images and want to fit in, they often believe this is how they’re meant to feel about breasts, even if they don’t actually care what size someone’s breasts are!
That’s your choice, bras won’t help in the growth or development of your breasts, but they might make you feel more comfortable and less self-conscious in certain situations. Either helping to conceal the breasts, so they’re less visible through your clothes, or reducing the amount of jiggling around when you’re being active.
Most store assistants will understand if you prefer to keep your clothes on when finding the right bra size, they might even suggest your size just by looking at you. They’ll pick out some choices of bra for you to try on, but they’ll want to make sure the bra is the correct fit for your comfort, so will ask to check the under band and cups sit correctly. Don’t worry this will be done in private. They appreciate it’s a daunting shopping trip for teens, so they’ll be discreet.