Introduction Hello, and welcome to our book about breasts--or, as they''re often called, boobs! You might be thinking, "Hey, it''s a bit over the top to have a whole book about boobs. I mean, isn''t this like reading a book about . feet? Do we really need a whole book devoted to boobs?" The answer is: YES! A lot of young people have asked us questions about boobs. Like, are my boobs "normal"? How do I look after them? Why do boobs hurt sometimes? Do you have to wear a bra? (How do you even buy a bra?) And is it all right to sometimes feel a bit annoyed about the whole boob situation? Often, these questions begin popping up at the start of puberty, when our breasts--which we never really gave much thought to--start to change and grow on our bodies. Whether we''re ready or not. What you notice as you grow into this phase is that you might have to contend with your boobs in ways you don''t with the rest of your body. You have to fit them into your clothes. You have to marshal and support them if they get in the way.

You have to deal with throbs and pains and itches. You may suddenly feel quite shy about people seeing them! And, in a fascinating way, you find that boobs have meaning. Just as different cultures can attach different meanings to the clothing you wear, different cultures can attach different meanings to your breasts. Their size, their shape, whether you cover them up or show them off, their very existence! Just about everyone gets at least some breast growth, too, whatever their gender. And all of this can leave new boob owners with a LOT of questions--and not many answers, because people can be pretty shy when it comes to talking about boobs. But not anymore. We are pulling back the curtain, stripping it all the way back, tossing aside the bikini top, and discussing all of it. A note about gender and bodies Just about everyone is born with breast tissue inside of them.

And as we get older, especially during puberty, breasts can grow in response to specific hormones. These hormones are generally found in greater quantities in girls and women. Not everyone born with female chromosomes will identify as a girl or woman. Likewise, not everyone born with typically male chromosomes will identify as a boy or man. Others are born with variations in their chromosomes or hormone patterns that may have an impact on their breast tissue. In this book, when we use the words girl, woman, female, boy, man, and male in relation to how boobs develop, we will usually be referring to a person''s sex based on these chromosomes. But we will also talk about people with diverse gender identities and how boobs might affect a person''s gender identity. The Basics What are boobs? Also known as breasts, boobs generally come in a pair and sit in front of the chest muscles.

They are made up of glands, connective tissue, ducts, and fat. They come in lots of different shapes and sizes. A fully grown breast can look like a small, slightly rounded disc, a wide cone, a fried egg, or a round ball (of various sizes), or be bell-shaped. Why am I getting boobs? If you''re between the ages of eight and 13, then you''re probably about to start one of life''s great adventures: puberty! Girls start to develop boobs at the beginning of puberty. Your boobs often grow for a couple of years before you get your first period. Who else gets boobs? Boobs grow most often in girls going through puberty--but that''s not the whole story. Anyone born with breast tissue--that''s pretty much everyone--who is under the influence of specific hormones will get boobs! -Newborn babies can have little breast buds for a few weeks which grow because of the influence of their mothers'' hormones. -Most boys going through puberty will have a small amount of breast growth.

It usually lasts somewhere between 18 months and three years. After that, boob tissue shrinks down and the boobs go away. -Boobs can grow quite a lot larger in pregnant women. -Medications such as hormonal contraception might affect some people''s breast tissue, usually making boobs grow a little. -And some medical conditions can affect breast hormones and therefore make boobs grow or change. Medical conditions can include certain thyroid problems and other causes of increased hormone secretion, or, rarely, types of cancerous conditions. What are boobs for? Scientifically, breasts are nature''s baby-food factory. A teenager''s boobs are getting set up for this future possibility.

As well as being a tasty, nutritious meal for babies, breast milk is a natural immunity booster. For some people, boobs also function as erogenous zones when getting intimate or during sexual contact.