A mum who developed Gigantomastia talks about her struggles with the rare chest condition. Jonalyne Bacus' breasts continued to grow in size after she became a mother. Moreover, she wasn't expecting the massive changes that happened in just three years.
Jonalyne – a mum from Cebu in the Philippines – shared her daily struggles in a Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho feature. She has difficulty taking a bath as well as walking and sleeping.
She describes the daily sensations she struggles with due to her condition. Her breasts always feel hot and itchy and she can no longer fit into her old clothes. What's more, no regular-sized bras fit her, so she has to make ones out of her old clothes.
To make matters worse, her neighbours mocked and teased her due to her unusually large breasts. Due to embarrassment because of her condition, she has isolated herself from other people.
Jonalyne considers her consecutive pregnancies to be the cause of her condition. In the interview, she recounts how she first noticed the slow enlargement of her breasts over a few weeks.
When she went for a check-up, the doctor diagnosed it as breast mastitis. She then received a prescription for antibiotics which ultimately had little to no effect.
The Mum with Gigantomastia Lost Her Third Child
One of the most heartbreaking parts was when her third child, John Niño, was born with meningitis and died a few days after his birth. However, Jonalyne says that it would be harder for John if he had lived because of his condition.
During her interview in 2018, she was pregnant while raising two young daughters. At that time, she was four months along.
Because of her condition, she struggled to fulfil her duties as a wife and mother. Thankfully, her husband, Jason Pitogo willingly helps around the house while providing for their family's daily needs. Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to make ends meet.
Due to a lack of funds, she has stopped getting required tests from the hospital. Fortunately, the GMA News team allowed her to consult a specialist, who diagnosed her with gestational gigantomastia.
Things You Need to Know About Gigantomastia
What is Gigantomastia?
Gigantomastia is a rare chest condition that only occurs in women. It mainly causes excessive growth of breasts. According to some researchers, it requires a reduction of at least 1,000 to 2,000 grams per breast.
The growth of the breast can happen in a span of a few years. However, some cases reported growth of three or more cup sizes in only a few days. Breast growth can be unilateral (one breast) or bilateral (two breasts).
What Are Its Symptoms and Causes?
A woman with gigantomastia might experience breast pain (mastalgia) and infections or abscesses. There will be redness, itchiness, and warmth on or under the breasts.
Due to the excess weight of the breasts, the woman will also experience pain in the shoulders, back, and neck. Below are the main symptoms you need to take note of:
- Struggling to maintain good posture due to heavy chest
- Infections or sores on your breast skin, particularly under your breasts
- Numbing or loss of sensation of the nipples or nipple area
- Your bra straps leave painful and irritating indentations on your skin
Its exact cause is unknown and the reported cases have only amounted to a couple hundred. Some believe that female hormones like prolactin and estrogen play a role in its cause.
What Are the Types of Gigantomastia?
The events that may have triggered gigantomastia divide the condition into several subtypes.
Jonalyne’s condition is called gestational or pregnancy-induced gigantomastia. It occurs in pregnant women usually during the first trimester. Some believe that pregnancy hormones trigger it. This condition happens in just one out of 100,000 pregnancies.
Puberty-induced or juvenile gigantomastia is another subtype. It occurs in adolescents (ages 11 to 19). Sex hormones cause this condition.
Medication or drug-induced gigantomastia occurs after taking certain medication, especially D-penicillamine.
Is There a Treatment for It?
Gigantomastia has no standard treatment yet, as its interventions vary on a case-to-case basis. Pregnancy-induced gigantomastia might resolve on its own after giving birth. To know about alternative treatments, we listed the surgical and medical options offered to some patients below:
Reduction Mammoplasty
Reduction Mammoplasty is a type of breast reduction surgery. It is considered in most cases, as it is safe and effective.
With this procedure, your surgeon aims to reduce the size of your breasts and remove any extra skin. Then. they realign your nipples and the skin surrounding them.
For this option, you must expect the operation to last a few hours. Afterwards, you might need to spend one night in the hospital.
Mastectomy
Mastectomy serves as a more definitive treatment compared to other breast reduction surgeries. The doctor might prescribe taking medications as well. It is possible to have breast implants after a mastectomy.
Due to the possibility of issues, some doctors discourage patients from getting implants after a mastectomy. In addition, after a double mastectomy, the majority of women will not be able to breastfeed.
The advantages and disadvantages of any type of surgery will be discussed with you by your doctor.
Medical Options
As an alternative, some doctors offer medicinal treatments. The medicines listed below are usually offered before or after a breast reduction procedure. Your doctor may recommend drugs to assist slow the growth of the breasts.
- Tamoxifen. This works as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Doctors often administer this for breast cancer treatment.
- Danazol. This medication is also meant to treat women who suffer from endometriosis and the symptoms of fibrocystic breast disease.
- Bromocriptine, a dopaminergic receptor agonist often used for Parkinson’s disease has been shown to stop breast growth
- Medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera). This also works as birth control medication.
Gigantomastia Pregnancy Risks
Due to abnormal enlargement of breasts, gigantomastia causes negative effects on pregnant mums. Additionally, mothers with newborns also suffer from the following effects:
- challenges in producing breastmilk
- excess skin caused by excess stretching
- irregular foetus development
- sudden miscarriage
- spontaneous headaches or migraines
- sudden bouts of pain along the chest, shoulder, and back area
- rashes along the breast area
- breast infections
- infected blisters and wounds caused by latching problems
- uneven breast size
- losing the sensation or feeling on your breasts or nipple area
Mum With Gigantomastia Find New Chance
Due to her pregnancy at that time, Jonalyne needed to wait before she can have breast reduction surgery. Fortunately, doctors reassured her that they can get back with the treatments after she gives birth.
If gigantomastia is left untreated, it can result in permanent posture issues and back issues. Additionally, it may lead to harmful infections, self-esteem issues, or difficulties during pregnancy.
Meanwhile, a woman with severe gigantomastia needs to seek an emergency mastectomy due to complications. Fortunately, gigantomastia does not spread to other parts of the body or cause cancer.
It is advised to treat gigantomastia as early as possible to avoid more complications, but the good news is that it does not cause cancer nor does it spread to other parts of the body.
Republished with permission from theAsianParent Philippines.
This article was updated by Kaira De la Rosa.