It’s been almost four years since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first Covid-19 vaccine. Emphasis has been given to get the jab as it can help to protect you against developing severe Covid-19 disease and dying from the respiratory illness. According to the World Health Organization, they are safe, but people may experience mild side effects after getting vaccinated. Fever, fatigue, and headache are some of the common Covid-19 vaccine side effects. Going by a new study, the list may also include an increase in the size of breasts. The study showed that breasts of a teenager grew from a B cup to a triple G in just six months after receiving the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.
Any vaccine is made to provide immunity without the dangers of getting affected by the disease. You may experience mild-to-moderate side effects while getting Covid-19 vaccines, which mean that your body is building protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, according to the World Health Organization.
Common Covid-19 vaccine side effects include:
While it is not listed as a common side effect, breast size can increase, as per this study. Published in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open in 2024, an unidentified healthy woman started noticing her breasts growing in size one week after getting vaccinated, and it worsened after the second dose. The 19-year-old woman received the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine in September 2022, and she noticed that her breasts grew from a B cup to a triple G within six months.
Researchers pointed to the “Pfizer boob job” phenomenon, where some women claimed an increase in breast size after getting vaccinated. However, there is no evidence to show rapid breast growth as one of the Covid-19 vaccine side effects.
The 19-year-old woman mentioned in the study was found to have Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia or PASH, a rare condition that causes extreme breast enlargement. The study showed that this case was a temporal association between the vaccine, and the PASH-associated gigantomastia.
The young woman’s breasts stopped growing after six months. She opted for breast reduction surgery five months later, as per the researchers. The teenager has double D breasts and may undergo breast reduction surgery again to return to her normal size.
Pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia or PASH is a benign breast condition characterised by the overgrowth of myofibroblastic cells within the breast stroma, leading to the formation of dense tissue. Hormonal influences, particularly involving progesterone, are believed to play a role in the development of PASH.
In rare instances, PASH can cause rapid and excessive breast enlargement, a condition termed gigantomastia. During a 2011 study, published in the International Journal of Surgery, most people with PASH were in their late 30s and 40s.
Symptoms of PASH-associated gigantomastia include:
The treatment options for PASH-associated gigantomastia include:
Significant breast enlargement is not one of the recognised Covid-19 vaccine side effects. While transient axillary lymphadenopathy (swelling of lymph nodes under the arm) may happen post-vaccination, leading to temporary perceptions of breast swelling, major or permanent breast changes are exceedingly rare.
The new study is unique and represents the first documented instance linking PASH-associated gigantomastia to a vaccine. But the connection between the Covid-19 vaccine and PASH-associated gigantomastia is not well understood. The reported case suggests a temporal association, but causation has not been established. Abnormal breast growth may not be one of the Covid-19 vaccine side effects, but research is necessary to determine if there is a direct link between the jab and the development of this condition.
Rapid breast growth is not one of the common Covid-19 vaccine side effects, which usually includes fever, and pain in the area where you got the jab. However, the latest study where a teenager noticed rapid breast growth after vaccination calls for more research. New studies need to be done on PASH, a benign breast condition, and its association with gigantomastia, and Covid-19 vaccination to make sure that increase in breast size is not one of the side effects of the jab.
Some women have claimed that their breast size increased after receiving Covid-19 vaccine. But breast changes after receiving Covid-19 vaccination are very rare., and there is not much evidence to support such claims.
PASH is a benign condition and is not considered a precursor to breast cancer. There may be a risk of developing breast cancer over time in people with PASH, but research is needed to confirm this association. Currently, PASH-associated gigantomastia is not viewed as a malignant condition.
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