What can cause excess enlargement of breasts?
Patient: I am currently just over 22 weeks pregnant and my breasts have grown over 12 cup sizes already. I used to be a 32d and am now well over a 32k. I have been seen by the breast specialists at the hospital who have told me that my breast are very engorged, with blocked ducts and valves as well as inflammation of the breast tissue however there solution is that I just get on with it. I am absolutely beside myself, I can t sleep the pain is unbearable and the radiologist thinks I have a rare condition caused by pregnancy (which he couldn t give me a name for) and that I should just learn to love my breasts. He also said they probably wouldn t ever return to their original size. I have looked on the net and have now convinced myself I have gigantomastia which is distressing me greatly as some of the pictures on the net are horrendous. I have gained a stone in weight and yet my bump at the moment is only small. I am having trouble functioning and am desperate for help. Doctor: Hello, and I hope I can help you today. I am sorry that your breasts have developed such a painful condition. You are correct that you may have breast hypertrophy, which is abnormal growth of the breasts, due to the hormones of pregnancy. Gigantomastia describes breasts that increase in size by 2.5kg or greater. Unfortunatley, there are no effective treatments for breast hypertrophy, especially during pregnancy. Hormonal medications really do not work, and elective surgery is not recommended until at least a year after the baby is born, as sometimes the size of the breast does go down on its own. In the meantime, ice packs and supportive, stretch bras, even when you sleep, can help with the discomfort. Limiting your overall weight gain will also help slow down breast growth, as a significant portion of breast tissue is fat. Applying lots of lotion and emollients to the skin will help reduce stretch marks. I am sorry that there is no immediate treatment for your condition, but your breasts may slow in growth as the pregnancy progresses. I hope I was able to adequately answer your question today and that my advice was helpful. Best wishes for the rest of the pregnancy,Dr. Brown