- Breasts are always changing. The milk ducts don't fully mature until lactation, or sometimes two years after menstruation begins. The ducts shrink in menopause because the hormones are no longer being produced, and fat usually moves in to occupy that space. Breast skin loses elasticity, and the sagging begins.
- Your left breast is typically larger than the right. Average bra size in the United States is 34DD or 34E, and one cup is always filled a tad more than the other.
- Women rarely get bra fittings often enough. You are probably wearing a bra with a cup that's too small and a band that's too big. A firm band lifts the breasts, and the cup supports them.
- Breasts move in a figure-8 during exercise. Be sure you get fitted for a good sports bra to prevent discomfort.
- Nipples perk up and darken during sexual arousal.
- Breast milk alone provides plenty of nourishment for babies for the first six months of life. Women who have twins and triplets produce more milk than single-birthers. Breasts can provide 25 to 35 ounces of milk to feed one baby in 24 hours.
- Areolas are scented. The scent produced by the bumps around the edge of the areola guide babies to supper.
- Some people have accessory nipples, which are extra nipples that occur anywhere in the milk duct line. They can occur anywhere from the armpit to the groin. They sometimes lactate.
- Perkiness is preferred to size. Size doesn't matter as much to modern women. Plastic surgeons are being asked to make breasts perky.
- Breast lumps aren't always cancer. If you find a lump, you should contact your doctor. Some lumps are fluid-filled sacs, others may be abscesses.
Listen in as Dr. Pam Peeke discusses the wonders of breasts.