Today's topic
Today at A.Vogel Talks Menopause, I'm going to be talking about five other breast symptoms that can occur during the menopause.
How does menopause affect your breasts?
So, why on earth does the menopause affect breast tissue so much? It's one of the things that we're really fighting against as we go through the menopause. Our breast tissue is very, very sensitive to oestrogen. It has a lot of oestrogen-receptor sites in it. So, when our oestrogen starts to fall, as we approach the menopause and go through the menopause, this can have quite a marked effect on the size, shape, and structure of our breasts.
Now, the most common breast symptom that tends to happen during the menopause is breast tenderness and discomfort. But, there are other breast issues that can happen so I thought I would go through those ones today.
Other breast changes you may experience during menopause
They may be not quite as common as breast tenderness, but a lot of women do suffer or experience these as they go through the menopause. So, let's have a look at these.
1. Breast sagging & shrinking
The first one is the one that we all hate, the one that we all do not want to have to face, and that is the fact that our breast size and shape can change. Our breasts can start to sag. They lose their pertness and, also, they can shrink. So, a lot of women find that their breast size decreases as they go through the menopause.
And, especially for women who are small breasted anyway, this can have quite a big dent on their confidence and also, for many of us, our breasts are a big part of our femininity. When they start to change and we feel they don't look as good as they did, then that can have a big impact on our self-worth, how sexy we feel, and that also links to our relationships with our partners as well.
Again, with this one, it's all to do with low oestrogen. This can affect the connective tissue which is basically the strengthening compounds that are in cells that help to keep everything strong and firm. So, if these decrease, then just because of the natural shape of the breasts, they will start to fall downwards. They're affected by gravity.
2. Breast enlargement / swelling
The second thing that can happen for some women, is that it goes the other way and their breasts start to get bigger and bigger. For some women, this is absolutely great. You know, they think, "At last, I'm getting the breasts that I've always wanted." For other women, obviously, they can end up getting too big.
It will completely change your shape. You can end up getting a lot of discomfort. We tend to get a lot of shoulder and neck pain anyway, especially those of us that are working in offices or working at desks. And, if your breast tissue enlarges too much, that can put extra stress onto the back muscles too, and it can cause a huge amount of distress.
Again, this is going to affect the way we see ourselves and also how we feel about ourselves as well.
3. Lumpy breasts
Number three is lumpy breasts. This is one of the ones that used to happen to me and I went and got everything checked out.
Everything was fine. The surgeon just said, "You've got lumpy breasts and that's it. There's nothing we can do about it." Again, it's all to do with the structure of the breasts changing. A lot of women can have slightly lumpy breasts anyway, but they don't realise it until they get to the menopause and their breasts start to decrease that little bit as well.
The other thing that can happen in this instance is that you can find that you can end up getting one breast either a slightly different shape or a slightly different size as well. Again, this is perfectly normal. It's something that happens to quite a lot of women.
Extra AdviceWhile menopause can often change how your breasts look and feel, it’s important to consult your doctor if you are worried about any new lumps or discomfort you may be experiencing. |
4. Itchy breasts
Now, you can get itchy breasts. This is a horrible one. There's a lot of discomfort and it can occur for a lot of different reasons. As our skin gets thinner, it gets far more sensitive to absolutely everything. If you’re starting to get really itchy breasts, then look at what kind of materials your bras are made of. Are they made of artificial or manmade fibre? That could be one reason.
What kind of soap powder are you using? Your soap powders and conditioners can be a skin irritant. It could be because you're getting lots of hot flushes and sweats. We keep our breasts in our bras for a good number of hours a day. They're not getting fresh air around them and, if you're sweating a lot, then that can cause irritation between your breasts and your bra.
If your breasts are damp, especially underneath, then you can end up getting really uncomfortable. That dampness being there for a good part of the day will irritate the skin and can make it quite red and a little bit raw, too. It can also be your bra itself, and this is a huge issue in the menopause.
I really, really have to keep saying, "Get your breasts checked on a regular basis for your bra size." I wear underwire bras just to help to keep everything up. If you're wearing the wrong size of underwire bra, then it’s going to pull in and it's going to pull up and that’s going to affect the whole circulation of the breast area.
This can then cause itchiness as well. So, it's good to have a good look when you're getting these kinds of symptoms; have a look at your clothes and what else is going on as well.
5. Nipple tenderness
Next one, number five is nipple tenderness.
This can be so horrible. This was one of my peri-menopause symptoms, and it was just absolute agony. Again, this is all to do with hormones: in the peri-menopause, and the first part of the menopause, your oestrogen can go sky-high and then it can drop really quickly.
These sudden changes of hormones can really affect the nipples. It can make them very tender and very sore. You know, some women will say to me they can't even lie on their front when they're in bed when this particular phase hits them.
Other things that can happen with the nipples: there can be a discharge and your nipples can start to invert. These are really symptoms that you must watch out for on a very, very regular basis.
How to support your breast during menopause
So, what can you do to look after your breasts as you go through the menopause?
Regular examination
Regular examination, honestly, this takes about five minutes if that's on a regular basis.
So don't stint on checking it because it really can make a lot of difference if you find something there that shouldn't be there. If you are getting inverted nipples, if you are getting any lumps or if you are getting any discharge from your nipple, then straight to the doctor, please.
Very often, it's not anything sinister but A, you want to get this checked out as soon as possible, and B, if you don't, you're going to worry about it. It's going to be at the back of your mind and that's not going to help your general mood or well-being either, so it’s definitely down to the doctor.
Get your bra size checked
Get yourself checked out for your bra size. Again, I did it a few years ago. I was absolutely horrified because I've been wearing the wrong size bra for about 20 years so I was just utterly embarrassed and mortified. This is something I do, maybe once a year. It's a good excuse to get nice new bras apart from anything else. And it gives you an idea of just exactly what kind of bra and size you should be wearing, and you look so much better.
The difference a proper fitting bra makes to your figure is really quite incredible. It can make you look completely different. A lot of the big department stores do this as a free service. So, you know, even try having a girly afternoon out with some friends – that way you can all go and get checked out. It can be a lot of fun as well.
Balance your hormones
You can balance the hormones if you're in the peri-menopause, if your periods are tailing off, or if you're in the menopause but you still find that you're getting sort of cyclical breast symptoms. You could look at our Menopause Support if it's appropriate and just, you know, keep an eye on that.
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Stay hydrated
Look at hydration. Dehydration is one of the strange things about breast tissue. They're a little bit like sponges in that they soak everything up. If you are dehydrated, which many women are during the menopause, your body will hang on to as much water as it can. And one of the places it will hang on to water is your breast tissue.
If you find that your breasts start to swell, especially if it's cyclical, or if they get really hard or really sore, this is very often dehydration. So just remember to have loads and loads of water every single day. That can make a difference very quickly to this sort of regular symptom.
Breast exercises
You can look at exercises like chest exercises or upper body exercises.
These are really important, especially if you're like me, you're doing a lot of desk work. I've just recently started going to a boxercise class which is absolutely hilarious, but it really does make a difference because it works all these areas.
It works your back and it does your bingo wings as well, plus it's a really nice one for arms and the upper chest, too. Even things like press-ups against the wall, you can do this while you're waiting for the kettle to boil. There's other little exercises you can do like just squeezing. If you do that, just have a little try at some point, you can actually feel the muscles in here tightening up quite a bit.
This is one I tend to do while I'm waiting for the shower to heat up in the morning. If you can just fit these little exercises in whenever you've got a few spare minutes. I wouldn’t advise doing them in public, though! That might look a bit strange.
So, as you can see, there are a lot of things that you can do just to make your breasts more comfortable, to make them look better and, also, just to lift your own confidence in your body self-image.
When to check with your doctor
This is so, so important. Any breast changes that are unusual, anything that you are worried about, please see your doctor. As I say, the majority of symptoms that come up are absolutely nothing to worry about but, you know, please don't delay with these ones. Get things sorted as soon as possible.
If any of you have any other tips for getting breasts to look better, any simple exercises that you do that you know can really help, then please let us know. We would love to hear from you.
