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"  Your breasts go through their ups (especially in a little strapless number) and downs (the inevitable pull of gravity), and a whole lot in between. But how much do you really know about them? If you&amp;#039;re like many women, you may only pay attention at your annual doctor&amp;#039;s visit, or if you&amp;#039;re experiencing some pain or discomfort. Yet being aware of changes in your breasts is important to your health in a number of ways\u2014and not just for reducing your risk of cancer. &amp;quot;Your breasts naturally change over the course of your lifetime, depending on shifting hormonal levels, premenstrual changes, the demands of pregnancy and breastfeeding, and eventually menopause,&amp;quot; explains Cynara Coomer, MD, chief of breast surgery at Staten Island University Hospital and an assistant clinical professor of surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. &amp;quot;Knowing what your breasts usually feel and look like and being aware of changes at each stage can help you figure out what&amp;#039;s normal and what might indicate that there&amp;#039;s something else going on.&amp;quot; 1. Is it normal... to have breast pain? It&amp;#039;s fairly normal when it happens around and during your period, occurs in both breasts, and comes and goes. That&amp;#039;s especially true if you have fibrocystic breasts, which means that your breast tissue is lumpy and prone to swelling. Caffeine can make also breasts feel lumpier and more painful, so try cutting out (or back on) coffee, tea and cola. To help ease the discomfort, ask your doctor about taking a daily combination of vitamin B6 (100\u2013200 mg), vitamin E (200\u2013 400 IU) and evening primrose oil (1,000 IU). The B6 likely works as a diuretic and may help reduce levels of the hormone prolactin (which stimulates the breast to produce milk), while evening primrose is rich in gamma linolenic acid, which can often ease painful symptoms, explains Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale School of Medicine. Less is known about the effect of vitamin E, but the overall combination seems to get results. &amp;quot;At least 60 percent of my patients with fibrocystic breasts who try this feel substantially better,&amp;quot; Dr. Minkin notes. If the pain is persistent and doesn&amp;#039;t go away after your period, talk to your doctor. There&amp;#039;s a small chance of an infection or even a tumor. 2. Is it normal... for my breasts to feel very sensitive? Breast tissue is hormonally sensitive, which means it&amp;#039;s highly responsive to changes that happen during your menstrual cycle, says Paula A. Randolph, MD, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in New York. In the days or week leading up to your period, shifting levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone create a cascade of changes, including breast swelling and enlargement of the breast ducts and glands. You may also notice that your breasts are more tender and more responsive to sexual stimulation right before you get your period. These changes aren&amp;#039;t anything to worry about, and your breasts should return to &amp;quot;normal&amp;quot; after your period. But if you feel really uncomfortable, try taking an antiinflammatory such as ibuprofen and ask your doctor for a mild diuretic, which can alleviate some symptoms. 3. Is it normal... for my breasts to leak? If you&amp;#039;re not breastfeeding, a spontaneous discharge from the nipple can be a sign of trouble. Tumors on the pituitary glands or in the breast itself can cause this type of leakage, or it may be a sign of a polyp (usually benign) in the breast duct, says Dr. Coomer. If you see any signs of discharge, speak to your doctor. 4. Is it normal... for one of my breasts to be bigger than the other? Absolutely. After all, neither your hands nor your feet are exactly the same size. In fact, about half of all women have a significant difference in breast size, says Dr. Coomer. For some unknown reason, the left one is often bigger than the right\u2014sometimes by as much as a full cup size! Placing a pad inside your bra can help even things out. If you experience a relatively new major change (say, one breast is suddenly swollen), call your doctor. It could mean that the milk ducts are inflamed from an infection or perhaps a solid mass or cyst. 5. Is it normal... to grow hair on my nipples? Many women have some hair on their nipples and breasts, and the amount and frequency of growth may change based on shifting hormone levels, says Dr. Minkin. The growth may be more pronounced when you&amp;#039;re going through puberty, as well as at perimenopause and menopause. You can remove the hair as you would in any other place: with tweezers, waxing or laser treatment. If you&amp;#039;re not going through hormonal changes and your periods have also become irregular (significantly longer or shorter or even nonexistent), talk to your doctor about checking your hormone levels. You may have an overproduction of androgen (male) hormones that&amp;#039;s caused by a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). 6. Is it normal... to have an &amp;quot;innie&amp;quot; nipple? About 5 to 15 percent of women have inverted nipples (the nipple goes into the breast mound, creating a dimple or hollow), and it can take place in one or both breasts. Some women have nipples that are only partly inverted, meaning they don&amp;#039;t stick out very far. If you&amp;#039;ve experienced either of these issues since puberty or your 20s, it&amp;#039;s probably not a big deal, especially if your nipple pops out when you stimulate it. However, if you&amp;#039;ve noticed a sudden change in appearance and the nipple is pulling inward, see your doctor. A cyst or a mass, benign or otherwise, could be to blame. 7. If it normal... for my nipples to change colors? The nipple and the surrounding skin, called the areola, can range from pale pink to dark brown, says Dr. Coomer. Changing hormone levels, whether from your menstrual cycle, certain medications or even aging, can change pigmentation. That&amp;#039;s especially true during pregnancy, when the skin thickens and develops an oily layer to make it easier for the baby to latch on to. If you&amp;#039;re not going through any kind of hormonal shift and your nipples change color, talk to your doctor, especially if they&amp;#039;re also itchy. It could signal another issue, such as an infection or possibly cancer. Protect Yourself - The Truth about Breast Cancer with Dr. Love       "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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