Believe it or not, but your breasts can indicate a lot about your current health condition. Have you ever paid attention to the silent signals that your breasts give you regarding what’s going inside your body? Perhaps, many aren’t aware of how significant it is to learn about what your breasts are trying to tell you and seek medical help if required. It is a misconception that any breasts-related symptoms or signals are related to breast cancer. In fact, your breasts are the best barometer for gauging your overall inner health and ensure optimal wellbeing. So, we have created a list of the 34 most crucial things that your breasts indicate to help you learn how to decode them.

Bigger Breasts Indicates Unusual Weight Gain:

Bigger breasts may be a sign of puberty if you are in your early teens. As you enter adulthood, your breasts also get bigger with the rest of your body. There’s certainly nothing unusual with that. However, if your breasts feel bigger suddenly, it indicates unusual weight gain. Maybe your dietary habits have changed; you are eating more junk food, sleeping and exercising less, or are stressed. There can be many reasons behind unusual weight gain. Gaining a few pounds is not a big deal. However, the National Cancer Institute claims that too much increase in body fat exposes the body to different cancers.

Growing Breasts Indicate Hormonal Changes:

If your breasts look more prominent than before, it can be a sign of some hormonal changes your body might be undergoing or has already undergone. A female’s body undergoes hormonal changes at several stages in her life. Such as every month when they get period or when they start taking birth control pills, there will be hormonal changes. Also, hormonal changes are a vital part of pregnancy. However, Yale University School of Medicine’s ob-gyn and clinical professor Mary Jane Minkin says that hormonal changes may trigger a growth spurt in breast tissues, so these appear bigger. As long as the changes are apparent in both the breasts, there’s nothing to worry about.

Shrinking Breasts indicate Weight Loss:

If you notice that your cup size is getting smaller and breasts aren’t as bulky as before, this means your body has lost a significant amount of weight. Since breasts comprise fatty tissues, any weight loss is reflected onto your breasts. But, this happens when you are trying to lose weight. If you aren’t, and still your breasts signal weight loss, this could be due to an overactive thyroid or maybe another chronic disease. Consult a doctor right away.

Shrinking Breasts Indicate Start of your Cycle:

Breasts can indicate when your menstruation cycle is going to start and end. Before the beginning of the period, breasts generally swell, and your cup size may go up. Once the cycle begins, they will quickly shrink back to their original size. Right before your cycle begins, there’s an upsurge of hormones in your body. Therefore, the breasts get bigger. After your cycle starts, hormones relax, and breasts return to their previous size.

Asymmetrical Breasts:

Many complain about having asymmetrical breasts. That’s not actually a big deal because breasts may not be perfectly symmetrical. So, it is normal to have different-shaped breasts. However, asymmetrical breasts may very well be a sign of breast cancer. If you observe rapid and sudden changes in one of the breasts’ shape, this abnormality is linked to breast cancer. Consult a doctor as soon as you can if that is the case.

Itchy Breasts Indicate Allergies:

Breasts can indicate that you are allergic to something. For instance, if your bra’s underwire irritates you, it means you are allergic to nickel. Underwires are generally made of a common irritant called nickel. Or else, the irritation could be because of an itchy sweater or a soap. If you get a rash, use topical hydrocortisone cream.

Redness Underneath the Breast:

This can be due to Inframammary Intertrigo. Don’t get worried about the fancy term; it isn’t something too serious or dangerous. Inframammary intertrigo refers to a crease that forms between the breast’s bottom area and the skin beneath it. When the two parts rub together, it may cause inflammation. This kind of inflammation is common during summers. Steroid cream, antibiotics, Neosporin, and OTC Cortisone, can help in reducing inflammation.  Also, wear the right-size bra to keep your breasts off your chest.

Under-breast Area Irritation Indicate Fungal Infection:

Inflammation anywhere around your breasts can indicate a fungal infection. Inflammation usually occurs due to wearing the same bra for many days or using the same sports bra when working out. Since bras absorb sweat, re-wearing the same bra for long can foster fungal or bacterial infections.

Stretch Marks on Breasts:

If your breasts suddenly develop stretch marks, this means your body has gained and lost weight too quickly. This usually happens during pregnancy as your weight fluctuates considerably right after giving birth. According to Barry Weintraub, M.D., a New York City-based cosmetic plastic surgeon, weight fluctuation causes the breasts to expand and shrink quickly. Due to this, stretch marks can appear, especially if your skin is naturally not too stretchy.

Dark and Light Nipples:

There’s nothing to worry about because changes in the color of nipples are not associated with breast cancer. Pigmentation patterns of the nipples can vary from person to person. The color won’t be the same for every woman, even in the same family.

Excessively Small or Large Nipples:

It is no big deal because variations in nipple sizes are a regular occurrence. There is no particular disease or underlying condition that can cause changes in the size of nipples, other than the time when you are breastfeeding.

Bumps Around the Areola:

If you notice bumps on or around either one or both of the areolas, don’t freak out immediately because it can happen during pregnancy. Bumps around the areolas appear while you are pregnant since breasts have to perform an essential function of milk production. So, those bumps you might be noticing are the tip of the milk ducts. The size of these bumps may also vary. You may have pimple-like bumps or puffed up bumps on your areolas.

One Large Bump on one of the Areolas:

Having a large-sized bump over the areola can indicate a cancerous tumor or a benign cyst. However, it could be normal breast tissue as well. So, it would be better to schedule a screening with your health care provider as soon as possible.

Stray Hair on your Breasts:

If a few stray hairs grow anywhere on your breasts, it is no big deal. However, too many hairs on your breasts indicate exposure to testosterone gel or cream. Usually, guys use such products to boost sex drive. So, rubbing up against your partner who has applied it can expose you to this hormone’s side effects. That’s why you see the sudden growth of hair on your breasts.

Hairs on your Breasts Can Indicate PCOS:

If there are quite a few strands of hair on your breasts, this means you have a polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. It is a condition where adrenal glands or ovaries start producing a dangerously high amount of male hormones testosterone. An elevation in testosterone levels causes irregular sprouting of body hair, specifically around the chest area. PCOS is among the leading causes of female infertility, so if you notice these signs, seek a formal diagnosis.

Itchy Nipples:

If your nipples are hurting or remain itchy all the time, it could be due to soap residue or leftover shampoo on your breast. Breast skin is very sensitive, so it quickly indicates any irregularity or abnormality. To get rid of the itchiness, rinse them with water. You can gently apply hydrocortisone cream for quick relief.

Persistent Itchiness:

If your nipples remain itchy continuously, and the itching doesn’t go away even after washing, this indicates you are allergic to something. For instance, your new bra may contain some compound or dye that triggers an allergic response. The same can happen if you are wearing a woolen sweater. Change into another shirt or bra to see if itching goes. You can apply hydrocortisone cream on the affected area to get some relief.

Itchy Breasts:

If your breasts and especially nipples get itchy around a particular time in a month, this means your menstruation cycle is about to start. Periods generally cause changes in hormones, and this triggers itchiness.

Itching Nipples and Areola can indicate Paget’s Disease:

Paget disease is also called nipple carcinoma. It is a rare type of breast cancer that causes itchiness around the areolas and nipples. The itchiness may get severe over time, and you may notice crusty, flaky skin, yellowish or reddish discharge, and flattened nipples. If you experience any of these signs, talk to your health care provider as soon as possible.

Lumpy and Achy Breasts:

Right before the start of your monthly cycle, your breasts may become lumpy and achy. If you feel bouts of pain around the chest and other changes such as breasts growing bigger, these are signs that the menstruation cycle is about to begin. Breasts become too sensitive during the days leading up to menstruation. To eliminate the itchiness, you can take 300mg of Vitamin E, 200mg of Vitamin B6, and 200mg capsules of Evening Primrose Oil. If the lumpiness and soreness persist even after the periods are over, consult your doctor.

Sore Breasts can Indicate Caffeine Overdose:

If you are consuming a lot of caffeine-based beverages lately, your breasts will turn sore. It happens because caffeine can aggravate soreness around breasts. Cut back on the amount of soda and caffeine you are consuming to get rid of the discomfort and soreness.

Milky, White Discharge from Nipples:

Physical stimulation can prompt your nipples to discharge a milky white substance. It happens so because the breasts have to perform the all-important task of milk production. Hence, any stimulation in the body causes them to discharge a milk-like substance. There’s nothing to worry about as the breasts are just doing what they are supposed to do, and it may happen when you aren’t pregnant.

Whitish Discharge from Nipples due to Medication:

If you are taking antipsychotic or antidepressant medications, the prolactin levels in your body may increase. Some prescription drugs disturb the hormonal balance in the body leading to an increase in the prolactin levels. Prolactin is the milk-producing hormone. When prolactin levels are elevated, your nipple will discharge a milk-like substance. Most of the time, this discharge isn’t dangerous.

Bloody Discharge from Nipples Indicates Papilloma:

If your nipples continuously leak a reddish, blood-like discharge, this can indicate that you have developed a noncancerous tumor. It is also called Papilloma, which is a condition where milk ducts grow abnormally large. Further examination will reveal the exact cause behind the leaking nipples. If this leakage is in just one of the breasts, immediately seek medical help because this isn’t a good sign.

Nipples Turning Hard:

When you are aroused, your nipples will naturally turn hard or firm. When smaller muscles around your nipples contract due to stimulation before or after intercourse, it may cause them to firm a bit. The firmness of nipples has no link with an abnormality in the breast tissue unless there is a difference between both breasts’ size.

Harder Nipples:

You may observe that your nipples get hard a bit too often during winters—no need to worry, though. Sex isn’t the only time when nipples will turn hard. Changes in body temperature can cause them to firm up.

Retracted Nipple or Puckering Indentation in Nipples or Breast:

If any of your breasts and nipples have puckering indentation or the nipple feel retracted, these are clear signs of breast cancer. If you see dimpling of any kind in the breast or nipple, this means cancer is developing under it. Schedule a formal screening immediately to determine what’s causing the indentation.

Your Breasts Feel Dense:

Though you may feel that your breasts are dense, the chances are that what you might be feeling is lumping breasts. A majority of females believe that their breasts are dense while, in reality, they are just lumpy. Sometimes during certain weeks in your monthly cycle, you may feel lumpy tenderness, but this feeling is entirely different from having denser breasts.  Only a mammogram can help in diagnosing it correctly.

Denser Breasts May Indicate Breast Cancer:

Undetected breast cancer is one of the greatest risks that a female body can be exposed to. Doctors claim that detecting tumors through dense tissues of the breast is very difficult. That’s why most of the time, breast cancer’s clinical diagnosis involves an ultrasound. Doctors want to double-check for the tumor, which is why, apart from checking for denser tissues, they do an ultrasound to prevent a false positive cancer diagnosis.

Veins Visible on the Breasts:

Our body has a veins network, which takes deoxygenated blood from organs to the heart. Every part of our body has veins, but generally, they are only visible where the skin is very thin or pale. Usually, veins aren’t visible on female breasts, and if these do, it could be a sign of skin cancer. Those who have very fair skin can have translucent or pale breasts, making them vulnerable to sunburn. As long as you aren’t too much into sunbathing and use sunscreen daily, you won’t have any skin-related issues.

Orange-like Texture of Breasts:

If your breasts develop an orange like texture, that is, the skin turns rough, and the nipples and areola turn hard, these are clear signs of breast cancer. Do be alarmed if your previously smooth breasts suddenly become rough like orange peel. Consult your doctor immediately for further probe.

Bump on the Breast:

Bump anywhere on the breast indicate that you have a benign cyst. If the cyst appears round, smooth, and wiggles, it will be a fluid-filled benign cyst. This is not a tumor, so don’t freak out. The best way forward will be to get an ultrasound done and identify what type of cyst you have developed. The vitamin combo discussed earlier can also help in treating the cyst.

A Bump on One Breast:

Bump on one breast is a sure shot sign of breast cancer. Most of the time, breast masses and pains result from hormonal fluctuations. But, whenever there is a breast mass, it is essential to rule out whether or not it is cancer or transform into cancer after some time. So, do book an appointment with your health care provider and schedule the necessary tests.

Source: Marie Claire / www.marieclaire.com/health-fitness/a16099/what-your-breasts-say-about-your-health/