Gigantomastia; the giants on your chest

By Atieno Mboya

Photo Courtesy: The News Reel Library

You walk past the streets of Moi, your chest holing up first place; it’s a plus for you considering the men attention you have. For a while now, you have been praised among your peers. You’re a celeb in hostel C, D, B, D, F, they all know you. Your milkies seem to have given you much reputation. Your pair of pillows are an instant attraction to men. They love you, you love it. It’s your moment of glory, you own the school. Your breasts own the town!

But are your breasts really breasts?

Approximately 27% of women in Kenya today live with gigantomastia, a condition in which they have extra-large breast size in proportion to their body weight, says medical expert Prof. Stanley Khainga of the Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi. In Moi University, 1 out of every 100 females in session suffer from the condition without their knowledge.

According to experts, gigantomastia is a condition scientifically proven to affect the female breasts, with the average weight of the breasts exceeding 3 per cent of the body weight. Patients suffering from gigantomastia have little knowledge of it, let alone knowing they have the condition.

“Gigantomastia, despite being quite common, has very little awareness surrounding it. Most women assume it’s genetic, while some assume it’s normal breast growth,” said Prof. Khainga.

Picture Courtesy: The News Reel library

Jane* (not her real name) is a student from Moi University, who has been living with the condition since her teenage. To her, it’s a matter of self-esteem and feeling out of place.

“I sometimes wish I could go for swim dates with my girlfriends. But the problem is the much attention someone like me attracts. In as much as flat chested ladies would want to have big busts, not all big busts are healthy. Some are actual medical problems”, she said.

"When I first noticed how my bra straps had dug into my skin, I thought it was normal breast development. but later on when my shoulders were dislocated, I got a hint that i should seek medical attention"

Stella*, still a student from Moi University, when asked about the condition, said she had no idea it existed, let alone know she had it.

“I’ve been living like this for a while now. My breasts are an instant attraction to men. It’s what they look at first before they look at my face. In as much as it’s derailing for someone to first look at your breasts instead of your face, I live with it. Because to us, it’s not a medical condition, it’s about having assets,” she said

According to Prof. Khainga, gigantomastia causes neck, shoulder and back pains and in other cases, it can cause the backbone to fracture or bend sideways. He also adds that in worse cases where the breast sits on the abdomen, the place becomes moist, may get fungi infected and have a bad odor.

John*, unlike Stella and Jane, is a boy but a student from the school of Human Resource Development. He has been a victim of gigantomastia, with one of his sisters suffering from the condition. He recalls having his older sister having a series of back pains and shoulder dislocations before she was treated.

“For me, I’m a man. So I may not really think it as a condition. At least I used to. Until my sister started complaining of shoulder pains and sharp back pains. No one in our family thought it was an issue, until an orthopedic surgeon told her she had too much weight on her breasts and had to get them reduced surgically. We had to spend close to half a million for her treatment when things got worse,” said John

According to scientists, gigantomastia is mostly hereditary, but can also be caused by excessive response to hormonal changes in girls. Also, obesity can be a cause of abnormal breast growth. Pregnancy too can enhance it due to the hormones released in preparation for breastfeeding.

Photo Courtesy: The News Reel library

Medics say that in as much as the condition is dire in affecting the back posture, it remains treatable through having a breast reduction surgery.