Puberty 101: Breast Development

Hey Just Tri Tribe! 

Puberty is the journey of growing from a girl into a woman. The entire process can be mystifying and awkward for uninformed young girls so it is important to have open and honest discussions about puberty and the menstrual cycle, as frequently as possible. Puberty usually begins around 8 years old for most girls, but their level of activity, nutrition, and sleep can impact the onset. Once the brain signals to the ovaries to begin producing the female sex hormones, the body will start to change and promote growth. Comparing herself and her development to a female friend can be the thief of joy and result in a negative experience. So it’s important to remind your daughter that every girl will experience puberty at her own time and rate.

Puberty 101

Let’s start from the beginning. From the moment we’re all conceived, we’re growing. We start out as babies and grow into children and become adolescents. At this point, a gland located inside our brain (called the pituitary gland), starts producing a specific type of hormone that promotes puberty. Hormones are a specific kind of chemical messenger that travels around our bodies with information for other organs that signals change. The two female sex hormones are estrogen and progesterone. The most notable changes that will happen during puberty are: bone growth, breast development, increased body hair growth under the arms and on the legs and genitals, increased body odors, and ovary development preparing for menstruation. Puberty can last anywhere from 5 to 7 years.

The first physical sign of puberty in girls is breast development.

Normal Breast Development

Breast development is a vital part of puberty in females. It occurs in stages:

1. Before birth
2. During puberty
3. During childbearing years

Breast tissue changes also occur during the monthly menstrual cycle and post menopause.

When does breast development begin?

Breasts start to form while the baby is growing in the mother’s uterus. A thickening in the chest area called the mammary ridge develops. Before birth, nipples and the milk-duct system have already been formed.

Breasts continue to change over the course of a woman’s life.

Lobes, or “breast buds” will develop first and the mammary glands will continue to grow as estrogen levels increase throughout puberty. The milk ducts and gland sizes fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle and can led to swelling and tenderness during the mid- and late luteal phase as the body prepares for a potential pregnancy.

Around the age of 35, the mammary glands slowly begin to shrink.

What breast changes happen during puberty?

At the onset of puberty, the first visible signs of breast development will begin to show. As the ovaries produce and secrete more estrogen, fat in the connective tissue in the chest area builds up. This build up causes the breasts to enlarge and stimulates growth in the duct system. Around this same time, pubic and underarm hair also appears.

As ovulation and menstruation start, the breasts continue to mature and glands form at the end of the milk ducts. The rate of breast development varies and is different for every girl.

The 5 stages of breast development:

Stage 1: Preteen. Only the tip of the nipple is raised.

Stage 2: Buds appear, and breast and nipple are raised. The darker area around the nipple (the areola) gets larger.

Stage 3: Breasts are slightly larger, with glandular breast tissue present.

Stage 4: The areola and nipple become raised and form a second mound above the rest of the breast.

Stage 5: Mature adult breast. The breast becomes rounded and only the nipple is raised.

As a caring adult, you must explain these changes to the young girls before and while they are going through puberty. It is important to assure them that these changes are normal. Openly talking about changes that happen during puberty will increase awareness and acceptance of puberty and menstruation. If you have questions, please reach out! Email me at [email protected] or visit the Just Tri Performance website to access FAQs.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog! 

Puberty is a massive transition in life. Help your daughter, younger sister, youth player, niece, student, etc. understand it’s a completely natural and amazing process and it’s a sign that she’s healthy!

Have a great week, get some movement in, and as always, Just Tri!!

Yours in Sport,

Lindsay

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