Breast size has long been associated with femininity, beauty, and even fertility in various cultural beliefs. However, does having small breasts indicate infertility? This is a confusion that troubles many women, which leads to many self-doubts. To be honest, biological factors like hormone balance, ovulation, and reproductive health determine fertility and none are directly linked to breast size. Still, some people consider there is a link and visit the best fertility hospital to know the truth. But, today here also you can explore the science behind fertility and debunk this common myth.
What popular studies say about breast size and fertility?
Different factors can impact fertility, but there is no correlation between breast size and fertility. However, this is not a rumour or false information, because many studies were conducted to identify whether there is a connection or not between the size of breasts and fertility.
The results of JAMA Pediatrics 2014, Human Reproduction 2015, Fertility and STERILITY 2016, Human Fertility 2016, and European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2018 proved that no connection exists between these two factors. That’s great, still, some women consider there is a link, they can consider visiting the best fertility hospital to get clarity. But, why is it so? Here is a glance at them.
Association between fertility and breast size
The two important factors why people associate fertility factors with breast size are body weight and the estrogen hormone. When a woman’s body weight is low, her breast size might be small. Low body weight may indicate low BMI, underweight, or other underlying health conditions like diabetes.
These listed problems can be a barrier to pregnancy and may cause issues or complications when trying for a baby. Another important reason for interconnecting fertility and breast size is decreased estrogen secretion. It’s because women with high estrogen levels are believed to have larger breasts and vice versa.
Estrogen levels are very crucial for maintaining optimal health of the female reproductive system and pregnancy too. This hormone supports ovulation triggers, uterine lining preparation, cervical mucus regulation, menstrual cycle regulation, and others. Lack of this hormone in your body will bring so many unexpected issues in your body and is a reason for small breasts.
This is why some women consider there is a connection between fertility and breast size. Here is a list of factors that determine breast size and indirectly point out there is no link between breast size and fertility.
Factors determining breast size
Weight
One thing that everyone needs to understand is that every individual’s body is different, and according to various factors, it could change. Weight and body fat can be a huge reason for the size of a woman’s breasts. A female’s breasts may contain a large amount of fatty tissue that could lead to an increased breast size.
Role of hormones
Hormonal fluctuations play an important role in determining the breast size, particularly estrogen, which is highly important for milk duct growth and enlargement of breasts. Meanwhile, progesterone prepares your breasts to support improved lactation. Testosterone also promotes the growth of nipples and areolae. Therefore, these three hormones and their fluctuation levels can improve and maintain the optimal breast size.
Genetics
Genetics help to determine breast size just like how it is linked with an individual’s height, eye colour, hair texture, density, and others. If you’re in a family with a history of women with smaller breasts, then you’ll also have more chances of having small breasts. However, it doesn’t mean that you’re not healthy enough.
Age
No woman can expect their breast size to be the same size. As they grow up, their breasts will show some changes accordingly. When the age declines, women’s bodies will start producing less estrogen, and breasts become perky due to low elasticity in the connective tissues.
Hormonal birth control
It can be birth control pills or sufficient hormonal birth control shots used on ICSI and other ARTs, the result will impact breast size in women. Yeah, you can easily identify that breast size changes due to the rise and fall of estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones. However, such things will be back to normal once a female stops the birth control pills.
Menstrual cycle
Women can experience changes in their breasts similar to the pregnancy period during their menstrual cycle. The breast could be swollen, tender, lumpy, and others due to the rise and fall of hormonal fluctuations.
Pregnancy
An increased estrogen, progesterone, and prolactin hormone secretions can result in breast enlargement. And breasts may shrink due to a reduction in glandular tissue and fat loss during postpartum. Some women experience permanent changes in breast shape after pregnancy, it can be either small or big.
Smoking
Smoking reduces blood circulation and breaks down elastin. It is a protein responsible for skin elasticity. As a result, a woman’s breasts may start sagging and volume might get reduced over time. The smoking habit also contributes to weight loss that could affect breast size. It may reduce the fat content in the breasts and make them appear smaller.
Conclusion
In summary, there is no scientific evidence linking breast size to fertility. Still, estrogen influences both breast development and reproductive function and breast size alone does not determine a woman’s ability to conceive.
Women should focus on maintaining good health and consulting medical professionals. This is the best way to address any fertility concern, rather than worrying about physical attributes that have nothing to do with fertility.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Genetics is the main reason contributing to small breast size, inherited genes from both parents determine a woman’s breast size. Then, hormones and medical conditions can be the secondary reasons for small breasts. Also, malnutrition during puberty can effectively impact the size of breasts.
Estrogen deficiency is one of the primary causes of small breasts. Low estrogen levels lead to underdeveloped breast tissue and small breast size. Apart from this, hormonal imbalances, puberty impact, and menopause effects are associated with breast size and can result in small size breasts.
Changing the shape and size of the breasts often requires a surgical procedure like breast augmentation. It’s because breast sizes are associated with genetics and changing genes is not a possible thing for anyone. And weight can also be a huge concern and women with smaller breasts are likely to have small breasts and vice versa.
