Virginal breast hypertrophy: Encyclopedia - Virginal breast hypertrophy

Virginal breast hypertrophy

Virginal breast hypertrophy (VBH) is a rare medical condition which causes excessive growth of the breasts during puberty.

The condition is caused by over-sensitivity to the female hormone, estrogen. The symptoms of VBH are hypertrophy (enlargement) of the breasts. VBH always starts at puberty, soon after the girl's first menstrual period.

The degree of hypertrophy varies from woman to woman and in severe cases it is possible for women to have breasts that weigh well in excess of 20 lb (9 kg) each. With VBH, enlargement of the nipples usually also occurs and the nipples can grow to an enormous size, although this varies from woman to woman. In very severe cases of VBH, hypertrophy of the clitoris can also occur.

The excessive size and weight of the breasts causes other problems. It is common for women to complain of headaches, neck pain, upper- and lower back pain and numbness or tingling in the fingers. Because of the weight of the breasts, bra straps can cause indentation or grooving in the shoulders and these can leave permanent scars from chronic irritation. Severe rashes beneath the breasts are common, particularly during periods of warm weather.

The breast growth is not constant and comes in ' growth spurts'. At times, women with VBH may have minimal or no breast growth and then experience a growth spurt where the breasts grow very rapidly in a short space of time. These growth spurts cause great physical discomfort, the main symptoms being red, itchy skin and sometimes a general ache in the breasts.

There is currently no medical cure for the condition other than breast reduction surgery.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Virginal breast hypertrophy", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki