Chenglong Wang1, Jie Luan1, Hao Cheng1, Lin Chen1, Zifei Li1, Adriana C Panayi2, Chunjun Liu3. 1. Department of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 33 Ba-Da-Chu Road, Shi-Jing-Shan District, Beijing, 100144, China. 2. Tissue Engineering and Wound Healing Laboratory, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. 3. Department of Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery, Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 33 Ba-Da-Chu Road, Shi-Jing-Shan District, Beijing, 100144, China. liuchunjun@psh.pumc.edu.cn.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast volume is a key parameter of breast measurement in breast augmentation. However, the correlation between menstrual cycle phases and variation in breast volume has not been well studied. METHODS: Young female patients with regular menstrual cycles underwent eight three-dimensional imaging scans during a single menstrual cycle from November 2017 to January 2018. Breast volumetric difference at each timepoint and basic breast volume were measured for each subject. Preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase values were compared using an unpaired t test. A Pearson's linear correlated analysis was performed to identify the correlation between the basic breast volume and maximum range of breast volumetric difference during the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (26 breasts) met the inclusion criteria. During the menstrual cycle, the breast volumetric difference showed first a rising trend followed by a fall. A significant difference in the breast volumetric difference between the preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase (- 19.6 ± 2.1 ml pre-ovulation vs. - 6.9 ± 3.3 ml post-ovulation, p = 0.002) was noted. There was a positive linear association between breast volume and maximum range of breast volumetric difference when a Pearson correlation was used (r = 0.45, p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The breast volume fluctuates during the menstrual cycle, and there is a significant difference between the preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase for breast volumetric change. The influence of the menstrual cycle on breast volume should be taken into consideration by plastic surgeons performing breast augmentation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
BACKGROUND: Breast volume is a key parameter of breast measurement in breast augmentation. However, the correlation between menstrual cycle phases and variation in breast volume has not been well studied. METHODS: Young female patients with regular menstrual cycles underwent eight three-dimensional imaging scans during a single menstrual cycle from November 2017 to January 2018. Breast volumetric difference at each timepoint and basic breast volume were measured for each subject. Preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase values were compared using an unpaired t test. A Pearson's linear correlated analysis was performed to identify the correlation between the basic breast volume and maximum range of breast volumetric difference during the menstrual cycle. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (26 breasts) met the inclusion criteria. During the menstrual cycle, the breast volumetric difference showed first a rising trend followed by a fall. A significant difference in the breast volumetric difference between the preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase (- 19.6 ± 2.1 ml pre-ovulation vs. - 6.9 ± 3.3 ml post-ovulation, p = 0.002) was noted. There was a positive linear association between breast volume and maximum range of breast volumetric difference when a Pearson correlation was used (r = 0.45, p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The breast volume fluctuates during the menstrual cycle, and there is a significant difference between the preovulatory phase and postovulatory phase for breast volumetric change. The influence of the menstrual cycle on breast volume should be taken into consideration by plastic surgeons performing breast augmentation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Entities:
Keywords:
Breast volume; Mammaplasty; Menstrual cycle; Three-dimensional imaging