Editing Breast (section)

===Menopause===
[[File:Stretch marks on female breast.jpg|thumb|left|Breast with visible [[stretch marks]]]]{{Main article|Menopause}}
At menopause, breast atrophy occurs.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Menopausal Transition, Body Mass Index, and Prevalence of Mammographic Dense Breasts in Middle-Aged Women |date=2020 |pmc=7465213 |last1=Kim |first1=E. Y. |last2=Chang |first2=Y. |last3=Ahn |first3=J. |last4=Yun |first4=J. S. |last5=Park |first5=Y. L. |last6=Park |first6=C. H. |last7=Shin |first7=H. |last8=Ryu |first8=S. |journal=Journal of Clinical Medicine |volume=9 |issue=8 |page=2434 |doi=10.3390/jcm9082434 |doi-access=free |pmid=32751482 }}</ref> The breasts can decrease in size when the levels of circulating estrogen decline. The adipose tissue and milk glands also begin to wither. The breasts can also become enlarged from [[Adverse effect|adverse side effects]] of [[combined oral contraceptive pill]]s. The size of the breasts can also increase and decrease in response to [[body weight|weight]] fluctuations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wanders |first1=Johanna Olga Pauline |last2=Bakker |first2=Marije Fokje |last3=Veldhuis |first3=Wouter Bernard |last4=Peeters |first4=Petra Huberdina Maria |last5=van Gils |first5=Carla Henrica |date=2015-05-30 |title=The effect of weight change on changes in breast density measures over menopause in a breast cancer screening cohort |journal=Breast Cancer Research |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=74 |doi=10.1186/s13058-015-0583-2 |doi-access=free |issn=1465-542X |pmc=4487974 |pmid=26025139}}</ref> 

Physical changes to the breasts are often recorded in the [[stretch marks]] of the skin envelope; they can serve as historical indicators of the increments and the decrements of the size and volume of a woman's breasts throughout the course of her life.{{Verification needed|date=December 2024|reason=This statement may not correspond to present sources}}

Breast changes during menopause are sometimes treated with [[hormone replacement therapy]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-07 |title=What You Should Know About Hormone Therapy and Menopause |url=https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/what-you-should-know-about-hormone-therapy-and-menopause |access-date=2024-12-25 |website=Columbia University Irving Medical Center |language=en}}</ref>