Table of contents:
- Breast growth experienced by children through adolescents
- An overview of the early stages of breast growth
- Factors affecting breast growth
- 1. Nutrition
- 2. Heredity
- 3. Hormonal changes
- When to see a doctor?
In girls, the growth of the sexual organs is characterized by breast growth during adolescence. It is also a sign that your daughter is entering puberty. Then, when will this breast growth begin and when will breast growth in adolescents stop? Check out the following explanation.
Breast growth experienced by children through adolescents
Launching John Hopkins Medicine, a girl's breasts have actually begun to form while still in the womb. Thus, after the child is born the nipple and the early stages of the duct system have formed.
Breast growth in each child begins at different ages. There are those who experience faster, normal, and slower breast development. If estimated, this growth occurs when the child is 8-13 years old.
Early breast growth in children begins to appear when they are teenagers. This is one of the characteristics of puberty in girls. Yes, at that time, your daughter's breast size and shape may start to change.
This breast growth goes hand in hand with the ovaries that start producing the sex hormone, namely estrogen. When the ovaries secrete estrogen, fat found in the connective tissue begins to accumulate on the anterior thoracic wall, causing the breasts to start to enlarge.
When girls start menstruating, breast development will continue. This time, secretory gland formation also forms at the end of the milk ducts. However, this rate of breast growth can vary for each girl.
At that time, breast growth in pre-adolescent children indicates sexual maturity. You can start giving sex education to your child during this growth period.
An overview of the early stages of breast growth
Breast growth is characterized by the middle of the breast that is darker than its surroundings. That part is called the nipple, which is the place where milk comes out when breastfeeding. At first, the nipples will feel softer. However, over time it will harden and form a lump under the nipple.
Apart from the nipple, there is also what is called the areola. This part surrounds the nipple and is lighter in color. As the breasts increase in size, the areola also begins to expand. In addition, the mammary glands begin to form and empties into the nipples.
At this stage, the size of the right breast may not be the same as the left breast. Don't worry, these different breast sizes are normal. After a year or so, the breast size will be the same or nearly the same.
In addition, the areola will be lifted further, causing the nipple to become more prominent. Then, a rounder breast shape indicates that the breasts are fully formed. This stage shows that the process of breast development in adolescents has stopped.
Usually, breast growth in adolescents will stop when they are 17 or 18 years old. However, it is possible that this growth will continue until the early 20s. This may occur in children who experience slightly slower breast development than their peers.
Factors affecting breast growth
There are several factors that can affect breast growth, such as nutrition, heredity, and hormonal changes that occur in the body.
1. Nutrition
If you don't help your child manage his diet, your daughter may be practicing an unhealthy diet. This has the potential to have an impact on the breast growth he experiences. For example, your child may experience a delay in this development.
The reason is, if your child's body is deficient in vitamins, the body will not produce the appropriate hormones and the child's breasts may stop growing. But, you dont have to worry. This you can still improve if you provide healthy food intake for your daughter.2. Heredity
Not only the nutritional intake that is eaten by your daughter, heredity can also be one that affects the breast growth that your child experiences. In fact, this growth can also stop due to genetic factors that your child has.
Having heredity affects how big your child's breasts will grow. However, this does not mean that your child's breasts will match yours. Your child's breasts may look the same as one of the other female family members, or they may not be at all.
3. Hormonal changes
When girls become teenagers, their bodies will produce hormones that help breast growth. Unfortunately, after the body produces hormones, children may experience erratic hormonal changes. This could be one of the causes of breasts to stop growing.
Even so, you also don't need to worry too much about this. The reason is, even though the development of her breasts has stopped, as the child grows older, she may experience breast growth during pregnancy. However, after stopping breastfeeding, menstruation.
When to see a doctor?
Not all girls have the same breast development, especially in terms of size. Pain, tenderness, and changes in the texture of the breasts that change slightly when the child is menstruating is also normal.
However, you still have to pay attention to the breast changes that your daughter is experiencing. Especially if your child does not experience breast development after passing the ages mentioned above. You may want to consult a doctor to find out the cause.
In addition, if your child experiences growth that feels abnormal, or your child's breasts stop growing when they are not fully grown, consult a doctor.
Some of the signs below are rare in children who are still developing breasts, but you should also see a doctor if your child has the following signs of breast cancer:
- Discharge from the breast, but not breast milk.
- Unusual swelling of a child's breast.
- You can feel a lump in the breast.
- There is skin sores on the breasts.
- Pain felt by the child in the nipple.
- The nipple on the child's breast protrudes inward.
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