How big breasts can devastate your life

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Nomusa Ntuli was so self-conscious about her bust that she broke up with her boyfriend. Picture: Nqobile Mbonambi

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Scientists say large breasts can take years off your life. Meet two women who have been there, done that...

‘THEY WON’T STOP GROWING’

By Themba Nthingila

She’s become used to the neck and back pain, and bears the sores on her shoulders from her bra straps.

But 29-year-old Nomusa Ntuli, a first-year public relations student at a Durban university, can’t get over the embarrassment caused by her bust. She was so self-conscious about them that she broke up with her boyfriend, who kept asking her why her breasts were increasing in size.

In an interview with our sister paper, Isolezwe, Ntuli said her swelling breasts were a mystery.

She used to be 34C, just slightly larger than average, but in 2010 her breasts started increasing significantly.

She had to buy a new bra virtually every month.

She’s now wearing a 38G bra, but it’s already too tight. Shop assistants tell her that is the last size. She doesn’t know what she will do when the current bra size no longer fits.

Her breasts are so heavy that she’s forced to sleep wearing a bra because turning during her sleep has become difficult and painful.

Ntuli needs to find out what is causing the growth and whether a breast reduction operation is feasible.

A doctor who had assessed Ntuli in Nkandla wrote a letter referring her to King Edward VIII Hospital in Durban but the hospital said it didn’t have the equipment it needed to diagnose the cause of the condition.

They referred her to the plastic surgery clinic at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.

She is waiting to hear from them. The last time Ntuli went there, she was told she must wait until February next year.

The hospital’s spokesman, John Thusi, says they are investigating why Ntuli has been waiting for such a long time.

Having a breast reduction procedure at a private hospital would cost more than R40 000, something Ntuli can’t afford.

Dr Tshidi Sibitloane, who specialises in women’s ailments, said the condition could be caused by hormones. If this was the case, the breasts could end up secreting milk.

Sibitloane said Ntuli could also have lumps in her breasts that would have to be removed, or the condition could be a side-effect of the consumption of pills such as anti-retrovirals. But Ntuli is not on medication. - The Star

‘JUST IMAGINE 1KG TO 2KG HANGING OFF YOUR FRONT ALL DAY EVERY DAY’

By Tanith Carey

As soon as she opened her eyes each morning, Jane Clarke would reach for the bottle of painkillers on her bedside table. She needed them just to get through the day. And even though she topped up her medication every few hours, agonising pain was a constant feature of her life.

It would be easy to assume that Jane, 64, a doctor’s wife, was afflicted with a chronic disease. But the truth is rather more surprising. For Jane’s suffering was caused by her ample breasts.

She’s not alone– it’s a problem afflicting increasing numbers of women. In the Fifties, the average cup size was a B, but now it’s risen to a C. And sales of D-cup bras are increasing.

The consequences of women having such large chests can be devastating, ranging from crippling back, neck and arm pain, to headaches, friction rash and even curvature of the spine.

Embarrassment means those afflicted are reluctant to exercise – perhaps little wonder when a G-cup breast has been found to bounce 14cm with every running stride – leaving them prone to health problems such as obesity and diabetes.

In fact, the cumulative effects are so serious that a study published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that a woman with very large breasts can lose five years off her lifespan if she doesn’t have a reduction.

Why are women’s breasts getting so much bigger? It starts young, with higher calorie intake and soaring rates of obesity causing young women to develop larger busts at puberty.

As women progress through their lives, their cup size continues to rise, because of a range of factors that include oestrogen in the contraceptive Pill and hormone replacement therapy.

Perhaps most worrying of all, studies of modern breast milk have revealed that it contains traces of chemicals – including pesticides and flame retardants – believed to act on oestrogen receptors in the body, triggering breast tissue growth.

Though many women may start out with average busts, by later life their breasts become dangerously heavy. That’s how it was for Jane. As a teenager, her bust was only slightly larger than average at a 36B to C, but by the time she had reached her fifties, her cup size was a 36FF.

“Over the years, my bust just kept getting bigger,” says Jane. “Like everyone in those days, I took the Pill – without realising the effects it might have on my breasts. My bust got bigger again after I breast-fed my two children.

“Then, as I hit middle age, my problems were compounded by the fact that my metabolism slowed down and I got dumpier. But I found that even if I lost weight, it didn’t help. My breasts got droopier and more pendulous and would hang down to my stomach – changing my whole centre of gravity. Just imagine 1kg to 2kg hanging off your front all day every day.”

By the time she reached 50, Jane was starting to suffer severe neck and back pain. “At first, I put it down to just getting older, but my husband suggested I try putting my arms under my breasts and hoiking them up to see how it felt. As soon as I did this, the pain across my neck and shoulders vanished. I knew then it was my breasts.

“I tried to manage the aches with painkillers, but there was a limit to how many I could safely take in a day. I knew I couldn’t live with this constant pain.”

Jane was lucky. She inherited some money from her late mother, and was able to have a breast reduction operation. Many other women are not so fortunate. Even those on medical aids are turned down because the operation is viewed as cosmetic.

In England, the national health service often refuses requests for the op on the grounds that the patient’s body mass index (BMI) is too high, so they need to lose weight to see if that fixes the problem.

Even many women not deemed overweight are turned down for surgery. Ashley Hutchison, 34, a mother of two, is one of them. She was in such constant agony from her HH-cup breasts that she took paracetamol and anti-inflammatories every day to cope. And she suffered permanent scarring from her bra straps digging into her flesh.

Even though Ashley’s BMI was within the acceptable range, after being referred to a specialist, she was told she needed to lose weight before she could be considered for surgery.

“I would wake up in pain, which I would put at a six or seven out of 10,” she says.

“It would rarely drop below a five – even with painkillers. I couldn’t even vacuum because the pain of leaning over was too intense.

“I hated my breasts because they were so big and ugly. I hardly breast-fed my two daughters because I was so terrified of smothering them.

“And I had to put up with comments from strangers such as: ‘How much did you pay for those?’

“My large breasts meant I couldn’t exercise to reduce my BMI. Even the sturdiest of sports bras didn’t help. I would diet, but it would not reduce their size. I felt I was caught in a vicious circle.

“My breasts were so heavy that I walked with an involuntary stoop.”

Ashley became increasingly desperate, so last year opted to reduce her breast size with a new treatment at a private clinic in London. It was less expensive than full surgery and could also be performed while she was awake.

During the operation, the surgeon made tiny punctures in her breasts – less than 1mm wide – and then suctioned out fat cells through a cannula (a thin tube). Her breasts went down in size to an EE and she could finally stand up straight.

“Within a week, the back and neck pain disappeared,” says Ashley.

“The difference in my life has been amazing. For the first time in years I can run. Getting more exercise means I have dropped from a size 16 to a 14.”

Plastic surgeon Professor Laurence Kirwan says that far from being merely cosmetic, breast reduction could enable many women to lead healthier, more productive lives.

He says a large breast can weigh as much as 1.5kg and removing as little as 200g can dramatically relieve the symptoms.

But he points out that the issue is often not taken seriously, particularly as large breasts are seen as desirable. “Many of the women who come to me desperate for breast reductions have poor posture and are in a great deal of pain due to the drag on their shoulders and neck.”

As well as shortening a woman’s life by five years, he cites a further study in Scandinavia that found the long-term health benefits of a breast reduction are equivalent to those of a hip replacement.

The impact on a woman’s life is also more than physical. Kirwan says a range of studies show that up to a third of women seeking breast reduction surgery suffers high degrees of anxiety and depression. They are more likely to have body dysmorphic disorder – a psychological condition in which sufferers form an unrealistically negative view of their appearance.

“Many of my breast-reduction patients are distraught, and their poor feelings about their bodies are compounded by the fact that society does not take their problem seriously,” Kirwan says.

“Of course, there is a finite amount of money available and the priority has to be for life-saving operations. Yet breast reductions can make women healthier and more productive, with a much better quality of life, which saves money in the long run.”

As cup sizes continue to increase, it is a problem that is unlikely to go away. Woman’s health expert Dr Marilyn Glenville, author of Fat Around The Middle, says about one in five women will see a significant hike in breast size around the time of menopause, with many increasing by up to two cup sizes.

She believes the use of bust-boosting oestrogen in some HRT and the cumulative effect of years on the oestrogen-rich Pill are key reasons for the size increase. But these aren’t the only factors.

“Early puberty is being linked to rising amounts of oestrogen in pesticides and plastics and our environment, as well as changes in our diet,” says Glenville. “At the other end of the scale, this is also fuelling the growth in women’s breast size as they get older.”

She also points out that in the five years leading up to the menopause, many women will also naturally gain weight around their middle. This triggers their bodies to produce more oestrogen which, in turn, stimulates the growth of fatty tissues in the breasts.

“I see more and more women getting bigger breasts as they get older. For many, it can be a shock,” says Glenville. “They didn’t foresee they were going to get a bigger bust, and the increase can be enough to tip them over into neck and back pain.

“It can be especially difficult if they have slight frames and are not used to carrying the extra weight.”

Jane is delighted she finally had her breasts reduced and would urge any other woman suffering like her to do the same.

“I feel like a woman of 30 again. My whole quality of life has improved.

“I’ve got a new identity. My posture changed overnight. From being hunched over, I gained 8cm in height because I could finally stand up straight – and I also wasn’t embarrassed to do so.”

Jane worries for future generations of young women who don’t realise the devastating consequences their burgeoning breasts could be storing up – and, indeed, may even be seeking to artificially augment them.

“Girls are already so much bigger than they were in my day, so I’m dismayed when you hear about them wanting even larger breasts,” she says.

“My breasts are completely natural, but have caused me terrible pain. When I hear the younger generation say they want to be even bigger, I think: ‘I really hope you know what you are letting yourselves in for’.” – Daily Mail

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