Breast exams help doctors check that everything's normal. During a breast exam, a doctor or nurse practitioner will feel a woman's breasts to check any lumps and bumps and see if there are changes since the last exam. Doctors don't usually start doing breast exams until a woman is in her 20s. Most teens don't need breast exams. That's because it's rare for girls to have breast problems.
Female breast development photos » Breast Augmentation: Cost, Reviews, Photos
Breast development happens in certain stages during a woman's life: first before birth, again at puberty, and later during the childbearing years. This starts with a thickening in the chest area called the mammary ridge or milk line. By the time a baby girl is born, nipples and the beginnings of the milk-duct system have formed. The first thing to develop are lobes, or small subdivisions of breast tissue.
Breast development in most girls begins between the ages of 7 and It's often the first physical marker of the onset of puberty. If a girl is overweight, it may appear that her breasts have begun budding when this isn't the case. The first sign of adult breast development is an enlargement and possible darkening of the areola around each nipple.
Jump to navigation. Breast development is caused by hormones released by the ovaries at puberty. These hormones cause fat to accumulate, causing your breasts to enlarge. The first sign of breast development is slight swelling under the nipple, a stage of development called breast buds. As your breasts first start to grow, they can be very tender and sore.