Salma Hayek has recently opened up about how her menopause has affected her breasts, revealing that the experience is not like what most people imagine, according to PEOPLE.
On the latest episode of Jada Pinkett Smith’s Red Table Talk podcast, the 54-year-old actress said she was surprised when her doctors asked her “terrifying” questions after experiencing signs of menopause.
She said, “They were asking me things like, ‘Are your ears growing and there’s hair growing out of them? Are you growing a mustache and a beard? Are you easily irritable? Are you crying for no reason? Are you gaining a lot of weight really fast that doesn’t go away no matter what you do? Are you shrinking?’ And then they ask you, ‘Is your vagina dry?’”
Hayek went on to reveal that her breast size grew a lot, adding, “For some women, they get smaller. But there are some women that when you gain weight, your boobs grow, and other women that when you have children and you breastfeed your boobs grow and they don’t go back down.”
“Then, in some of the cases when you are in menopause, they grow again,” she added. “And I just happen to be one of those women where it happened in every single step.”
The Frida actress said her breasts grew so much that people asked if she had plastic surgery. She said, “A lot of people said that I had breast augmentation. I don’t blame them. My boobs were smaller. So was the rest of my body.”
However, Hayek said her breasts “have just kept growing-many, many sizes. And my back has been really suffering from it. And not a lot of people talk about this.”
The star also revealed that she experienced mood swings and hot flashes. She said aging should not be viewed as an issue.
Hayek said, “There’s no expiration dates for women. That has to go. You can kick ass at any age. You can hold your own at any age, you can dream at any age, you can be romantic at any age. We have the right to be loved for who we are at the place that we are. We’re not just here to make babies, we’re not just here to baby the man.”
Mood swings, weight gain, irritability, and hot flashes are common symptoms of menopause. But can women grow breasts during menopause?
Dr. Lauren Streicher, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, told Health, “This is a real thing.”
Women’s health expert Dr. Jennifer Wider agreed and said, “It’s just one of those things that women can experience during this midlife transition.”
There could be a few factors. Some women naturally gain weight during menopause. Dr. Wider told Health, “During peri-menopause and menopause, there are hormonal fluctuations and eventually a drop in hormones that may cause weight gain. As a result, some of the weight gain can occur in the breasts, resulting in enlarged breasts.”
However, Dr. Streicher said it is not all about weight gain and explained that hormonal shifts during pregnancy can cause a “redistribution” of weight, leading to bigger breasts. She also said that genetics could also have a role to play, suggesting, “If your grandma had a big bosom after menopause, you may too.” The story was published on PEOPLE.
