Can Breasts Grow During Menopause?

I am 54, menopausal, and wondered if you had any insight on breast growth in this phase of life. My breasts have grown, and it is so uncomfortable I am considering reduction surgery.

—Menopause Is Cool

Breast changes in the menopausal years often catch women by surprise. They are also somewhat counterintuitive, given the structural changes to the breast that occur in menopause.

Before we consider menopausal breasts, let’s quickly review what has been going on with the breast up to this point. The breast is made up of ducts and lobules — the lobules produce milk, and the ducts collect milk and carry it to the nipple — fibrous tissue, and fat. Immature ducts are present even before puberty, and boys and men have them too. In puberty the ducts mature and lobules form. During each pregnancy, the ducts and lobules become fully mature in preparation for breastfeeding. After weaning, the ducts and lobules are pruned back.

It is in this pruned-back stage that our breasts spend most of their time during our reproductive years and through our 40s. When estrogen levels drop during menopause, the ducts and lobules are pruned back further, and some lobules disappear altogether. In addition, the fibrous tissue decreases in volume.

Based on all of this, we might expect that our breasts would get smaller. However, while the volume of ducts and lobules and fibrous tissue decrease, fat moves in to take their place. It is this fat that can lead to an increase in breast size in menopause.

There is one study conducted in the Netherlands surveying more than 1,100 women ages 54 to 71 regarding breast changes they experienced in menopause. Nearly 19% of the participants reported needing to buy a larger bra size due to an increase in breast size. Conversely, 1.7% of participants reported needing a smaller bra size.

The authors explored various factors that might be correlated with increased breast size. They found that the number of years since menopause and increases in waist and hip circumferences were correlated with an increase in breast size. However, we know that in general people gain weight over time and these are correlations, so we cannot say that weight gain causes breast size to increase. What we can say based on this data is that increased breast size after menopause is common, but we don’t know why some women experience it and some don’t.

The takeaway: Nearly 1 in 5 women experience an increase in breast size in menopause. We don’t know what causes this increase, but it correlates with years since menopause and increases in waist and hip circumference.