Breast Development Stages

Puberty is a sign of transformation from a girl to a woman. This is quite an exciting period for a mother as her child steps into a new stage of her life. But at the same time, the girl who undergoes this transformation may feel this stage to be quite painful and scary. Many girls even feel embarrassed as they don't know how to deal with this situation. Hence, it's the responsibility of a mother or any other elder female member of the family to help the girl understand breast development stages and function of menstruation cycle.

Breast development in a woman is a physical change in the body which starts even before the menstruation cycle. The function of a woman's breast is to produce milk which is used for breastfeeding her child. There are different stages of breast development but developing breast may differ in every single girl. Some may develop it quite before the other girls as it also depends upon the overall growth and development of the body.


There are different breast development stages in girls which show how the breast grows. The whole process is the part of puberty. As the age of a girl increases, she gets near to the age of becoming a woman. Breast development in girls is divided into 5 stages. It starts when the girls are not even aware of this change in their body. Some girls may find it painful and some may think its scary, but whatever it may be, it is a normal process which every girl has to go through. Following are the stages which will show how a woman develops her breast.

Stage 1
Girls under 10 years of age fall under this category. This stage is considered as the preadolescent stage of a girl. There is no growth of breast in this stage. The nipples are seen as just brown buds which are not much prominent. Some girls may observe some growth due to the early puberty but usually, it is seen after this age. Those who feel some development, need not worry as its normal.

Stage 2
Girls from 8 to 13 years fall under this stage. This is a stage when a girl enters the puberty age. It is characterized by bud appearance, nipples raised and the areola, the dark part which surrounds the nipples enlarges. In this stage, the tissues start developing and are prominently seen. This growth can be accompanied with pain in breast. The milk duct also develops at this stage. Some girls may develop their breast more than normal due to obesity, which results in the early secretion of puberty hormones.

Stage 3
Girls from 12 to 14 years of age fall under this category. This is the adolescent age of a child. A girl usually enters the menstruation period in this age. The breasts are seen growing and are more visible. The areola spreads more and the breast starts bulging out. But still the shape of the breast is not achieved. The glandular tissues rises up and the estrogen hormone starts giving bust to the breast. This can be a painful stage for some girls as they may feel pain all the time.

Stage 4
Girls from 12 to 15 years of age fall under this category. The breast keeps on growing and a second layer of mound is observe over the breast. There will be considerable breast pain as the skin stretches and the breast enlarges. This may also result in stretch mark which will diminish with time. At this stage, the girl should start using brassiere to prevent breast injury. Bra supports the breast and also gives it a proper shape. Mothers should be more concerned about their daughters at this stage and should try to make them understand about every aspect of puberty. They should also explain her to perform breast self exam, which will help her in her later years to prevent breast cancer. The girls who may have not started with their menstruation cycle, will start their cycle most probably at this stage.

Stage 5
The girls from 14 to 18 years of age fall under this category. This is a stage to achieve matured adult breast. The breast takes its round shape with raised nipples. Although in some girls, complete growth of breast can take place till early twenties. At this stage, the girls will be able to determine their actual size of breast. The last stage may consist of small lump formations which are the result of complete development of the duct which takes place at the time of pregnancy. At stage 5, the growth of the breast totally depends on the weight gain and the weight loss of the women which means the fat deposition plays an important role in the formation of bigger breast after this stage.


During menstruation cycle the breast becomes lumpy and some may even feel change in the breast texture. This is very normal and as the breast tries to get prepared for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, the breast comes back to their normal size. The breast is not yet fully developed even after completing all the five stages of puberty and adulthood. Complete development takes place during pregnancy. Due to the pregnancy hormone progesterone, breast undergoes many changes and achieves maturation. The breast starts swelling due to the development of milk ducts. One can also find swelling, enlargement and darkening of areola. All these changes help the breast to get fully prepared for producing milk for the baby.

Each girl's body may follow a different pattern of breast development stages, hence you may find the age in all the stages overlapping. After the age of 40, the breast size starts decreasing as the milk duct starts drying. Later, in the older stage, the breast will become loose and will drop down due to the effect of gravity. If you want to retain your breast size same as it was in the 18 years of age then you should try out some breast firming exercises which are considered to be very effective. I hope this article helped you to understand the various stages of breast development. Explain your daughter about breast development stages and help her to overcome this important but crucial part of her life.