Woman, 40, left horrified when ONE of her boobs started to suddenly grow ‘rapidly’ after taking common drugs
A WOMAN was horrified when one of her breasts rapidly ballooned in size, after a rare reaction to common drugs.
The unnamed 40-year-old developed a condition known as unilateral gigantomastia, which causes one boob to grow abnormally large.
In her case, reported in the International Journal of Surgery Case Reports, it was her left asset that was affected.
The woman, a mother of one, had undergone ‘ovarian hormonal stimulation’ to help her conceive before having her child, which doctors believe triggered the condition.
The fertility treatment involves using synthetic hormones to help the ovaries produce eggs, boosting the chances of pregnancy.
It’s commonly used in treatments like in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
In the UK, about one in six couples face fertility struggles, and many turn to treatments like ovarian stimulation to help.
Globally, millions of women use these treatments to increase their chances of conceiving.
It comes as a 19-year-old’s breasts ballooned by six-cup sizes – from a B to triple G – after receiving the Covid vaccine.
Doctors diagnosed her with pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH), a rare condition that leads to abnormal cell growth and benign lumps in the breast.
The latest case report, shared by doctors from Italy, explained that over the next three years after her pregnancy, the patient experienced a “significant and rapid” increase in the size of her breast, accompanied by weight gain.
She also reported severe back pain, difficulty walking, and psychological distress as a result of the condition.
Unilateral gigantomastia is a very rare condition, with only a few cases ever reported in medical literature.
It can develop spontaneously, during puberty, pregnancy, or after taking certain medications – as seen in this case.
The excess tissue in the affected breast, or in some cases, breasts, is almost always benign (non-cancerous).
Her case was referred to a breast specialist and oncologist and doctors were able to rule out cancer after performing a biopsy.
However, the biopsy revealed diffuse ductal hyperplasia – a condition in which the cells in the breast’s milk ducts grow abnormally.
In an effort to alleviate the woman’s distress, surgeons agreed to perform aesthetic surgery to reduce the size of the breast, as well as a nipple graft.
The procedure was a success, with surgeons removing 7lbs (3.45kg) of breast tissue, leaving the patient, believed to be from Campania, in Southern Italy, with a balanced and symmetrical chest.
The outcome was deemed a success, with the patient expressing high satisfaction with the results.
The surgeons described the case as “one of the most extreme instances of gigantomastia encountered in our surgical experience.”
What is gigantomastia ?
Gigantomastia is a rare condition that causes excessive growth of the female breasts.
The exact cause isn’t known and it can occur randomly, during puberty, pregnancy, or after taking certain medications.
The breast growth can occur over the course of a few years, but there have been some cases of gigantomastia where a woman’s breasts grew three or more cup sizes within a few days.
Other symptoms include breast pain, posture problems, infections, and back pain.
While gigantomastia is considered a non-cancerous condition, it can be physically disabling if not treated.
In some cases, the condition resolves on its own, but many women with gigantomastia will need to have breast reduction surgery or a mastectomy.
Gigantomastia also goes by other names, including breast hypertrophy and macromastia.
Source: Healthline