Take a peek: Here’s how your breasts change shape throughout your cycle

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27 Aug Take a peek: Here’s how your breasts change shape throughout your cycle

Posted at 12:54h in hormonology tip by
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When I was younger, I never really thought about my breasts. I had no interest in showing them off with deeply-cut V-necks or tight sweaters. And, I couldn’t understand the impact they had on other people who found them alluring.

Now that I’m in my mid-40s and am pouring my once-firm breasts into my bra cups like two unbaked mounds of pizza dough, I still don’t get the allure of these appendages. But, I do give them more thought than I used to as they increasingly change shape, evidently wanting to become one with the floor–no matter how many entirely transparent compliments a garrulous bra-fitter recently gave me about their “surprising” roundness…for may age. Ouch.

So, if you’re like me and give the shape of your “girls” a few thoughts every now and again, you might find it interesting to discover that they actually change shape throughout your menstrual cycle every month. Hand to my heart, it’s true–I have the studies to prove it:

According to research, such as this new study and this 2012 study, during the first half of your cycle (your Week 1 and Week 2, which starts out with the first day of your period and lasts through ovulation), your breasts get a slight natural lift the closer you get to ovulation. Thanks goes to rising estrogen, which improves skin elasticity.

And, according to a study in the journal Ethology and Sociobiology, your breasts become more symmetrical during your Week 2 (the week leading up to and including ovulation) when estrogen is high. And they become less symmetrical during Week 1 (your period week) and Week 4 (your premenstrual week) when estrogen is low.

Of course, these shifts are subtle–you won’t be going from a D-cup to a double-A or needing a bra with two different-sized cups from one week of your cycle to the next. But, hey, since your breasts are right in front of you, making them easy to check out, if you notice any differences in shape–that aren’t related to gravity’s merciless pull over the years–you might now know why.

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