Developing Breast: Stages of Breast Development in Teen Girls

Breast development in teens and menarche (the onset of the menstrual cycle) mark the beginning of puberty and thus the great transition between childhood and womanhood. This period often fills the minds of young girls with mixed feelings of fear, sometimes spurred on by myths, hope and the wonderment of becoming a woman. Children around this age are asking themselves and others questions like "what is menstruation like?" How big will my breasts be? Will mine look like mom's or big sister's or will mine be different. Is this (situation) normal?

In addition to attracting a sexual partner, which these days we could safely say could be of either gender, breasts have a biological purpose, to provide milk for a child that the woman will one day produce. As it is true with the rest of our bodies, breasts take several years before they’re fully mature and prepared to perform this function. This development takes place during puberty.

Stages of Breast Development
There have been several studies concerning breast development in girls and they have recognized a pattern in the growth pattern of developing breasts. This growth pattern has been divided into five stages of breast development. These stages take eight to ten years for a young woman to go through before breast development is complete.

Stage 1 (The child less than 10 years old)
In this time period the child is growing in all areas, however development of breasts is not yet seen. Areola's are only brownish spots where there will one day be full breasts and fully developed nipples.

Stage 2 (Beginning development age 8-13)
There are some differing viewpoints as to the age at which this stage begins. There are those that say that it begins at nine years, but it is well proven that there are factors (such as obesity, which increases Leptin, the hormone required to begin puberty and breast development) that can bring about early onset of this stage. In this stage small breast buds develop in preparation for growth of the ducts. Menarche will begin approximately four years after this stage.

Stage 3 (Ages 12-14 years)
In this stage the breasts buds are beginning to enlarge. There may be some pain or discomfort.

Stage 4 (Ages 12-15)
At this stage of development the breasts form mounds and are gradually enlarging. There may be some additional discomfort and pink lines may appear on the breasts, these are only stretch marks and will fade in time. In addition there might be noticeable pain. This is only the breasts growing and the skin growing to accommodate the enlarging mound beneath it. This discomfort will pass in about a year or so.

It is at this stage of life that a young girl should be taught and makes it a habit to do breast self exams. This is definitely not because cancer is a worry at this point in life. However, it is because cancer is a possibility later in life and that it is important for the teenager to get into the habit of doing these exams shortly after each menstrual cycle.

This is a good time to purchase a bra to prevent injury. The child needs to understand that a brassier is more than underwear. A bra is meant to protect the breasts both during and after growth. Breast injury is quite painful and breasts need to be protected while jogging and other sports. There are some who claim that it is very good for a person to wear a bra to bed.

Stage 5 (ages 14-18)
This is the last stage and the breasts mature and become full and rounded. This is about the time a woman has realized the approximate breast and bra size that she will most likely retain for most of the rest of her life. There will be factors that will change this; breast size will increase with both pregnancy and weight gain. In addition if the young woman is overweight at this point in her life, then dramatic weight loss will of course decrease the amount of fat in the breasts and her bra size will decrease.

It is also during this last stage of development that the ducts within the breast will be growing and this can produce small lumps. ` These are nothing to be concerned about; these usually go away within several menstrual cycles. Doctors generally are not concerned about this unless they last longer than three menstrual cycles.

While breast growth and development is a completely normal thing that happens to a young girl, it can also be a scary time. There are many changes taking place and some of these associated with the breasts are not taking place at the same time. There may be a period where one breast is slightly larger than the other. This is just a minor and very normal thing that happens during any growth period. After about 18 years old the breasts should be very close to the same size.