{"id":18895,"date":"2018-10-15T09:13:09","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T15:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=18895"},"modified":"2023-06-23T10:54:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T16:54:26","slug":"is-this-normal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/is-this-normal\/","title":{"rendered":"Is this normal?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

\"A<\/p>\n

Ever wonder why breasts feel tender at certain times or if a good bra is important for breast health?<\/p>\n

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Christine Bliven, a breast radiologist at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center<\/a> in Steamboat Springs, answers a variety of questions about breast health.<\/p>\n

Why are breasts tender at certain times?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Breast tenderness is a side effect of hormones that fluctuate with menstruation. \u201cTenderness and swelling are most common right before your period or mid-cycle,\u201d Bliven said.<\/p>\n

Why does size fluctuate?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Swelling from monthly hormones and weight change can affect breast size. \u201cMany people tend to gain or lose fat in their breasts with weight change,\u201d Bliven said. \u201cFor someone who\u2019s thin, five pounds can make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

What if one side is larger?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very common that one side is larger,\u201d Bliven said. \u201cWe don\u2019t necessarily develop symmetrically. So when we see an asymmetry we can often say it\u2019s been there since puberty. But a big, new change on one side, such as one breast getting bigger or smaller or harder, needs to be investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is breast pain bad?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"This
Dr. Christine Bliven is a breast radiologist at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center in Steamboat Springs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe most common symptom women come to see us with is pain,\u201d Bliven said. \u201cWe confirm it\u2019s in their breast, not the chest wall or chest. But typically, breast pain is not a sign of anything bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hormones are the most common culprit when it comes to pain. Some women notice that caffeine and chocolate can also impact pain.<\/p>\n

Is discharge normal?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Some types of discharge are fine: discharge that is white, blue or green in color and that comes out of both nipples and multiple ducts as a result of squeezing is okay, though Bliven doesn\u2019t recommend squeezing the nipples as part of a self-exam. \u201cAbnormal discharge comes spontaneously on its own, from one duct and one nipple,\u201d Bliven said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be bloody or clear. That\u2019s more worrisome and should be checked by your health provider.\u201d<\/p>\n

What if a nipple inverts?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s common for a nipple to invert now and then, but if a nipple pulls in and won\u2019t squeeze back out, or if it turns scaly or gets red spots, see your health provider.<\/p>\n

Why are some women more endowed than others?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It all comes down to genetics. \u201cYour baseline size is genetically determined,\u201d Bliven said. Regardless of what you may have believed as a teenager, no exercises or herbal supplements will increase breast size. However, weight gain or loss can affect size, as well as breast augmentation or reduction surgeries.<\/p>\n

How do pregnancy and breastfeeding affect breasts?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In pregnancy, hormones prepare the breasts for making breast milk: ducts and lobules are added, and breasts get bigger. After pregnancy and breast-feeding, breasts again become smaller.<\/p>\n

Is proper breast support (a good bra) important to breast health?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Wearing a good supportive bra can help women dealing with breast pain or back pain, but does not make a difference in breast health.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes there are stories that you shouldn\u2019t wear a bra because it increases breast cancer, but that\u2019s not true,\u201d Bliven said. \u201cWearing a bra does not make a difference in breast cancer risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of bras, will they help prevent sagging?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A bra does not help breasts maintain their shape. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to prevent sagging, because we just normally lose that elasticity in our tissues,\u201d Bliven said. \u201cThat loss of elasticity is also what causes wrinkles.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can I do to take care of my breasts?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Get a regular mammogram, do self-checks and practice healthy habits by maintaining a healthy body weight, not smoking and not having more than one alcoholic beverage each day. And remember that even if you face a diagnosis, breast cancer can often be successfully treated.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>This article first appeared in the Steamboat Pilot & Today on Oct. 15, 2018.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ever wonder why breasts feel tender at certain times or if a good bra is important for breast health? In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Christine Bliven, a breast radiologist at UCHealth Gloria Gossard Breast Care Center in Steamboat Springs, answers a variety of questions about breast health. Why are breasts tender at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":18897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[655,6835,4800,9187,212,23],"class_list":["post-18895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-breast-cancer","tag-breast-cancer-treatment","tag-breast-health-services","tag-readysetco","tag-womens-care","tag-womens-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs this normal? - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Christine Bliven, a breast radiologist, answers a variety of questions about breast health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/is-this-normal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is this normal?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Christine Bliven, a breast radiologist, answers a variety of questions about breast health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/is-this-normal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-10-15T15:13:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T16:54:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2018\/10\/15090625\/is-this-normal_main-photo.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/is-this-normal\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/is-this-normal\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Susan Cunningham, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f2737182b44781de4109fdd5dd464270\"},\"headline\":\"Is this normal?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-10-15T15:13:09+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-23T16:54:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/is-this-normal\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":671,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/is-this-normal\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2018\\\/10\\\/15090625\\\/is-this-normal_main-photo.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Breast cancer\",\"Breast cancer treatment\",\"Breast health services\",\"Ready. 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