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Hey, y'all welcome back.
I'm Mama Doctor Jones,
a board certified OB-GYN, a mom to four,
and today, we're going through five myths
about your breasts that you probably still believe.
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(upbeat music)
Number one, breastfeeding causes breast sag.
This has been disproven in the literature and despite that,
I still see medical professionals online
and in real life telling patients this.
It's absolutely not true.
So if that's not true,
what actually causes breast sag?
Well, the primary factor in breast sag
is genetics and gravity.
Over time, the Cooper's ligament
which is the suspensory ligament of the breasts,
just succumbs to gravity and time,
it gets a little bit more lax
and this leads to breast sag.
- [Narrator] The breast is anchored
to the pectoralis major muscle
by suspensory ligaments.
And in fact, the suspensory ligaments of Cooper
become more loose and stretched of increasing age.
And this is a significant contributing factor
to the breast becoming ptotic or low-hanging.
- Other things that contribute
are the number of pregnancies someone has.
Breastfeeding, not a risk factor.
Number of pregnancies is a risk factor.
Why? Because hormonal changes cause a breast
to increase and decrease in size.
So this leads to rapid changes
which alter the skin and alter the muscle
and alter the glands,
and that can lead to more breast sag.
So in that same vein,
large amounts of weight gain and weight loss can contribute.
And really importantly,
a lot of things in your lifestyle can contribute.
So smoking, for example,
decreases the elastin in your skin and body tissues
and this leads to increased wrinkles on the face,
but also more sagging in the breast.
So these are all things that can contribute.
The primary factors are genetics, gravity, and time
as well as a number of pregnancies,
but definitely not whether or not you breastfeed.
So if you wanna breastfeed, breastfeed away.
It's not going to affect how your breasts sag.
Number two, all lumps are breast cancer.
This is absolutely not true.
In fact, in people under the age of 30,
a breast lump is far more likely
to be something called a fibroadenoma
or just general dense breast tissue or fibro cystic breasts.
And this is really, really common.
Fibroadenomas are super common.
They're also common over the age of 30,
but at that point we do get slightly more concerned.
Although, I still want to reiterate
that most lumps over the age of 30 still
aren't breast cancer.
However, all lumps at any age should be checked out.
So if you noticed a lump while you're doing a breast exam,
always, always, always have your doctor
or advanced practice provider take a look at it.
Number three, my breasts are just right here.
That's absolutely not true.
Breast tissue extends all the way up into the armpit.
So if you're doing a self breast exam,
you need to start all the way up in the armpit
and go in a circular motion in a way
that you can make sure you'll cover the entirety
of the breast.
This breast tissue extending up into the armpits
is also a reason why sometimes
when people are breastfeeding,
they will get engorgement all the way up into their armpits.
So don't ignore the breast tissue in your armpits
either for breast problems that you may be having
or for self exams at home.
You also need to just have general awareness
of what's normal for your breasts.
We call this breast self-awareness.
And we encourage you to just look
in the mirror every time you're getting in the shower,
take note of what your breasts look like,
and how they're shaped.
And if something changes, let your healthcare provider know.
This is really, really important
because breast cancer doesn't always present as a lump.
Sometimes, you may have no symptoms
in which case it's really important
that you're getting routine mammogram screening
over the age of 40.
It's a little debatable about exactly when we should start.
But also, it can sometimes present as just a change in size
or an indentation or changes in the skin.
So being self-aware of what your breasts look like
on a normal day to day basis is really important.
Number four, sleeping in a bra is good or bad.
I hear this myth both ways all the time.
So what's the truth?
The truth is (chuckles) it doesn't matter.
If you wanna sleep in a bra, you can sleep in a bra.
If you don't wanna sleep in a bra, it's totally fine.
It's not going to increase breast sag in the future.
Whatever's most comfortable for you is totally fine.
I do occasionally recommend that someone sleeps
in a sports bra or some other type of bra,
generally without an underwire because it's more comfortable
if they are having nipple chafing.
What happens sometimes is a loose T-shirt
while you're sleeping at night,
can rub across the nipples
and cause lots of pain and chafing.
And if that's happening,
sometimes we can fix that just by sleeping in a sports bra
or something that's a little more tight fitting
so you don't have that constant friction through the night.
Other than that, whatever's comfortable for you
is totally fine.
You'll probably wanna choose a breathable fabric,
something that's comfy,
something that doesn't have an underwire,
but honestly, there's no good or bad.
Whatever works for you.
Number five, bras, deodorant, et cetera cause breast cancer.
This is absolutely not true.
A bra with or without an underwire,
a bra sleeping in it or not sleeping in it at night,
deodorant with or without aluminum,
none of these things cause breast cancer.
Primarily, breast cancer is either genetic or spontaneous.
Meaning, somebody in your family carries a gene
that makes you at an increased risk of breast cancer
or you just spontaneously get breast cancer
and we don't exactly know.
This is multifactorial,
there are genetics, there are things we don't know,
and then there are lifestyle things.
Living a generally healthy life, exercising, eating right,
not smoking, and not drinking too much alcohol
are all things that can help decrease the risk
of breast cancer in the future.
So what have we learned?
Breastfeeding does not cause breast sag,
all breast lumps are definitely not cancer,
your breast tissue extends all the way up into your armpit,
sleeping in a bra is neither good nor bad,
it's all about what's comfortable to you,
and breast cancer is not caused by bras or deodorant.
If you learned something, leave a like on this video.
If you're new here, we would love to have you subscribe.
We talk about all things, pregnancy, gynecology,
breasts, et cetera.
And you can impress your friends with your knowledge.
I will link a playlist of other videos
that you might enjoy right over here.
Be kind to yourself, to each other, to me,
in the comments be kind.
And I will see you next Monday.