I have heard that women’s breasts shrink after pregnancy (and breast milk production) is over. But I have just heard this from several women - no real proof of it happening.
So - after it is all said and done, are women’s breasts usually smaller? And if so, why?
Based solely on my borderline disturbingly close observation of my really hot coworker, I’d have to say yes. Sadly.
Smaller than during pregnancy and nursing or smaller than pre-pregnancy? Most (if not all) women’s breasts shrink at least a little bit from breatfeeding size. Some go back to pre-pregnancy size, some stay at pregnancy size, and a few get even smaller than pre-pregnancy size.
In a highly unscientific sample consisting of the women I know that I can think of at the moment, it seems that the smaller-to-start-out-with ones get smaller and the larger ones stay larger. Probably something to do with fat distribution and how much pregnancy weight is lost. My step-mother went from a B cup to a A cup with her first and then to an AA cup after her second! I warned her again having a third, lest she become concave. 
I, on the other hand, was a 34DD before pregnancy, and 36 God-only-knows- falling-out-of-an-F during and am now at a 36DD, 11 years later. Of course, I’m still holding onto nearly 50 pounds of weight I gained during pregnancy. (Note: do not become pregnant when anorexic. Your body will hang onto every calorie for dear life!)
Sigh, I WISH!!!
After the birth of my daughter, my breast went back to their prepregnancy size of large B, to C cup.
After my son, whom I nursed. My breasts have never been smaller than a triple D cup.
This is intersting stuff. If I thought my wife’s breasts would stay bigger after pregnancy were finished, I’d say lets go ahead and have that first child right now!!!
And before you think I’m just a pig, let me say that my reasons are monetary, not physical. She wants implants pretty badly…I don’t see the need, and really don’t want to spend the money. So if having a kid gave her permanently bigger breasts, then we both win. Then again, I think the surgery will be cheaper than the kid. But at least we won’t end up doing both.
So does this behavior have any correlation to whether the woman breastfeeds or not? If you contuniue to breastfeed through your loss of pregnancy weight, maybe the body will keep them from shrinking back, giving priority to maintaining the brest tissue… And once you stop breastfeeding, you’ve already lost all the weight, so they might not change.
Just a wild-assed theory. I don’t have breasts (sigh), so I can only hypothesize.
Damn you zombie, you got me all excited to see WhyNot!
Me too!
Are you saying that before pregnancy you were anorexic and 34DD? :eek:
I remember one lunch many years ago, there was the usual guy talk about breast size and the (usual) comment was size doesn’t really matter, “anything over a mouthful is wasted”. One of the guys says “then how come women never say that about guys?”
My sister’s breasts got smaller after pregancy and breast feeding, to her regret. They were that large to begin with. My daughter-in-law’s seem to have gotten larger and she was well-endowed to begin with. My wife’s pretty much stayed the same. So from my personal observation, I would have to say, “It depends.”
Mine went from 36 C, to 36 F during nursing to…34 DDD/DD depending on the bra.
“Baby” is seven.
I am hoping some of it will go down as I get into shape - this is a little much.
During pregnancy, a woman’s estrogen levels are sky high. Since an effect of estrogen is stimulate breast growth, it’s not surprising that they get bigger during pregnancy and then, as estrogen levels get lower, they get smaller (usually ;)).
I think that part of the problem in measuring is the weight gained during pregnancy (and as a result of simply aging/going out of shape). Too get a good distribution you’d have to sample women who post lactation have returned to roughly the same fat levels/distribution they had before.
It totally depends on the women.
During pregnancy nearly every woman experiences breast growth. How much depends on the woman (some women go up 5 cup sizes, some just one) and secondarily on how much weight they gain.
It’s inevitable that some of the fat in the lobes of your breasts (each breast is divided into these interior sections that contain both fatty and glandular tissue) is replaced by the rapidly growing lobules that will make milk. Sometimes but not always the growth of your breasts is also due to fat gain. Whether or not the fat will return to fill out your breasts after you are done with pregnancy/breastfeeding, or the extra fat you put on during the pregnancy will stick around, depends.
There have been studies done, and whether or not you breast feed does not affect the appearance of your breasts afterwards. The changes that affect appearance afterwards occur during the pregnancy.