How old are you when you get breasts?

Answer 1

If you're a girl, look down and there they are - or will be soon. They are just two mounds of flesh, but they get a lot of attention. As a girl matures and goes through puberty, breasts tell the world that this girl is leaving girlhood and entering a new stage in her life.

Because large breasts get attention (just look at magazines, TV, or movies), some girls may worry if their breasts are small or if they mature more slowly. Girls with large breasts may be unhappy, too, because their shape attracts attention they don't want. The truth is that beauty doesn't come in just one bra size. There are all sorts of female shapes and sizes in the world, and all are beautiful.

But breasts do more than just look nice. Girls have them so they can do an important job later in life. Someday, if the girl grows up to have a baby, her breasts can provide the milk the baby needs. Breast milk is the very best food for babies and mom is the source. And it doesn't matter if those breasts are small, medium, or large. All sizes can produce enough milk to feed a baby.

When Do Breasts Start Growing?Breasts can start growing as early as age 8 or as late as 13. Some girls' breasts grow slowly and others grow quickly. Some girls may feel like their breasts will never start growing. But it's just that girls start developing at different ages and different rates. One girl might have more developed breasts at 12, whereas her friend could be still flat as a board.

Breast development happens in stages. The first stage starts during the early part of puberty, when a girl's ovaries enlarge and estrogen, an important female hormone, begins to circulate in the body. Doctors often refer to the early stages of breast development as "breast budding." Get it? Budding - like a flower has buds.

A breast bud is like a small raised bump behind the nipple. After breast budding happens, the nipple and the circle of skin around the nipple (called the areola) get bigger and a little darker. Then the area around the nipple and areola starts to grow into a breast.

As breasts keep growing, they may be pointy for a while before becoming rounder and fuller. For some girls, one breast might be a little bigger than the other one. A girl's breasts may continue to grow during the teen years and even into her early twenties. Fully developed breasts come in all shapes and sizes.

Breasts are just one sign that a girl is getting older and on her way to becoming a woman. If a girl has questions or concerns about breasts or Bras, the good news is that there are plenty of women and older girls to ask.

And if a girl is worried about how slowly her breasts are growing, her doctor is also a good source of information. More often than not, a girl is growing in the normal range and before she knows it, she'll be bra shopping, too.