Thelarche
Encyclopedia
Thelarche is the onset of secondary (postnatal) breast
development, usually occurring at the beginning of puberty
in girls. Its etymology is from Greek θηλή [tʰelḗ], “nipple” and ἀρχή [arkʰḗ], “beginning, onset”. Thelarche is usually noticed as a firm, tender lump directly under the centre of the nipple
(papilla and areola
). Thelarche is also referred to as a "breast bud", or more formally as Tanner stage
2 breast development (Tanner stage 1 being the entirely undeveloped prepubertal state). Thelarche may occur on one side first, or both sides simultaneously.
Thelarche is the first physical change of puberty in about 60% of girls, usually after 8 years. It is a result of rising levels of estradiol
. It is typical for a woman's breasts to be unequal in size, particularly while the breasts are developing. Statistically it is slightly more common for the left breast to be the larger. In rare cases, the breasts may be significantly different in size, or one breast may fail to develop entirely.
Although breast development can occur as a part of normal male puberty, it is termed gynecomastia
, and the term "thelarche" is not used with reference to male breast development.
When thelarche occurs at an unusually early age, it may be the first manifestation of precocious puberty
. If no other changes of puberty or sex hormone effects occur, it is referred to as isolated premature thelarche, and needs no treatment.
As with menarche
, many young girls are not prepared for breast development, or have been trained to feel ashamed of breasts through active instruction or modelling. Some possible consequences of such neglect are negative body image, appearance anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and delayed diagnosis of breast tumors. The introduction of research-based educational materials on breast development for primary and middle schools has been proposed to promote breast health by reducing shame.
There may well be two types of premature thelarche.
The classical type commences during the first year of life and tends to resolve by the age of 2.
There is a second form of premature thelarche, of which the age of onset is over 2 years of age and this tends to be more persistent and with a higher incidence of uterine bleeding for the child.
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
development, usually occurring at the beginning of puberty
Puberty
Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...
in girls. Its etymology is from Greek θηλή [tʰelḗ], “nipple” and ἀρχή [arkʰḗ], “beginning, onset”. Thelarche is usually noticed as a firm, tender lump directly under the centre of the nipple
Nipple
In its most general form, a nipple is a structure from which a fluid emanates. More specifically, it is the projection on the breasts or udder of a mammal by which breast milk is delivered to a mother's young. In this sense, it is often called a teat, especially when referring to non-humans, and...
(papilla and areola
Areola
This article is about the breast tissue. For the entomology term, see the glossary of Lepidopteran terms. For an artistic cloud motif, see aureola. For the cactus feature, see Areole....
). Thelarche is also referred to as a "breast bud", or more formally as Tanner stage
Tanner stage
The Tanner scale is a scale of physical development in children, adolescents and adults. The scale defines physical measurements of development based on external primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as the size of the breasts, genitalia, and development of pubic hair, and was first...
2 breast development (Tanner stage 1 being the entirely undeveloped prepubertal state). Thelarche may occur on one side first, or both sides simultaneously.
Thelarche is the first physical change of puberty in about 60% of girls, usually after 8 years. It is a result of rising levels of estradiol
Estradiol
Estradiol is a sex hormone. Estradiol is abbreviated E2 as it has 2 hydroxyl groups in its molecular structure. Estrone has 1 and estriol has 3 . Estradiol is about 10 times as potent as estrone and about 80 times as potent as estriol in its estrogenic effect...
. It is typical for a woman's breasts to be unequal in size, particularly while the breasts are developing. Statistically it is slightly more common for the left breast to be the larger. In rare cases, the breasts may be significantly different in size, or one breast may fail to develop entirely.
Although breast development can occur as a part of normal male puberty, it is termed gynecomastia
Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia or Gynaecomastia, , is the abnormal development of large mammary glands in males resulting in breast enlargement. The term comes from the Greek γυνή gyné meaning "woman" and μαστός mastós meaning "breast"...
, and the term "thelarche" is not used with reference to male breast development.
When thelarche occurs at an unusually early age, it may be the first manifestation of precocious puberty
Precocious puberty
As a medical term, precocious puberty describes puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most of these children, the process is normal in every respect except the unusually early age, and simply represents a variation of normal development. In a minority of children, the early development is...
. If no other changes of puberty or sex hormone effects occur, it is referred to as isolated premature thelarche, and needs no treatment.
As with menarche
Menarche
Menarche is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female human beings. From both social and medical perspectives it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility....
, many young girls are not prepared for breast development, or have been trained to feel ashamed of breasts through active instruction or modelling. Some possible consequences of such neglect are negative body image, appearance anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and delayed diagnosis of breast tumors. The introduction of research-based educational materials on breast development for primary and middle schools has been proposed to promote breast health by reducing shame.
Isolated premature thelarche
Premature thelarche is a benign, self-limiting condition which is characterised by breast development with no other signs of sexual maturation.There may well be two types of premature thelarche.
The classical type commences during the first year of life and tends to resolve by the age of 2.
There is a second form of premature thelarche, of which the age of onset is over 2 years of age and this tends to be more persistent and with a higher incidence of uterine bleeding for the child.
See also
- AdrenarcheAdrenarcheAdrenarche is an early sexual maturation stage in some higher primates that in humans typically occurs at around 6 to 8 years of age. During adrenarche the adrenal cortex secretes increased levels of androgens such as DHEA and DHEAS, but without increased cortisol levels. Adrenarche is the result...
- GonadarcheGonadarcheGonadarche refers to the earliest gonadal changes of puberty. In response to pituitary gonadotropins, the ovaries in girls and the testes in boys begin to grow and increase the production of the sex steroids, especially estradiol and testosterone....
- MenarcheMenarcheMenarche is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female human beings. From both social and medical perspectives it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility....
- PubarchePubarchePubarche refers to the first appearance of pubic hair in a child. Pubarche is one of the physical changes of puberty but should not be equated with it since it may occur independently of complete puberty...
- PubertyPubertyPuberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of reproduction, as initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads; the ovaries in a girl, the testes in a boy...