Brazilian woman one of 300 women diagnosed with breast issue
Brazilian woman Thaynara Marcondes, 22, only realised how much her breasts had grown when it was pointed out by her aunt.
'That's when I realised it. I started going out on the street and people were staring and pointing. Once I went to the supermarket and people even started to think I was stealing products and hiding them in my breasts. Then I got worried,' she told CNN Brasil.
It turned out that her breasts had been growing by 750 grams a month, due to a rare condition that only 300 women have.
When people started to look and point at her on the street Ms Marcondes, who had previously worn a size medium shirt and was now forced to wear the largest size available, decided to seek help.
'I couldn't even wear a bra anymore. I put all my clothes in a bag because they didn't fit me anymore,' she told local publication G1.
'One day I tried on eight shirts and none of them fit. I ended up freaking out [ …] Now I want to wear a bikini, I want to run, do lots of things.'
She struggled to take part in everyday activities due to the amount of pain she was in.
She consulted several doctors, one of whom thought it was cancer. That was ruled out and it was established she had gigantomastia.
Gigantomastia, also known as breast hypertrophy, is a rare and non-cancerous condition, according to Healthline. It causes excessive growth of the breasts — although the reason behind it is unknown.
It has been associated with pregnancy, puberty, certain medications and some auto-immune conditions such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and psoriasis.
Only 300 cases have ever been diagnosed, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms include pain in the shoulders, infection, redness or itchiness, breast pain, poor posture and loss of nipple sensation.
Ms Marcondes underwent a 10-hour breast reduction to help with her growing problem. The procedure, which cost 40,000 Brazilian Real (AUD $11,000), saw roughly 10 kilograms removed from her chest.
She declared the surgery a success, despite losing the ability to breast feed and sensation in the area, saying she was looking forward to wearing a bikini at the beach.
The doctor who performed the surgery said it was unclear what caused Ms Marcondes' diagnosis and tests were still being performed.
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