Woman who grew third breast has it removed

A 41 year old woman from India had what was described as a "large accessory breast", a condition also known as polymastia.
The breast had swelled to three times the size of her other one and left her withdrawn and suffering pain in her shoulder and arm.
The authors who reported it in the journal BMJ Case Report said:

"There was a successful removal of a large accessory breast, also known as polymastia, from a 41-year-old woman in India.

"An accessory breast is an additional breast, and affects approximately two to six per cent of the female population.

"These can range from small moles to fully functional breasts, and symptoms can include pain, restriction in movement, cosmetic impairment, negative body image, psychosexual dysfunction, and stigma.

"Treatment is required if symptoms arise or the breast becomes cancerous. "The patient in this report had an accessory breast on her left hand side which increased in size over the course of 10 years following her first pregnancy.

"Upon admission to hospital, the breast had reached almost three times that of her right breast.

"As a result of the condition, the patient became socially withdrawn and rarely went outside her home because she feared other people's reactions.

"She had negative body image and poor self-esteem. She only sought medical treatment when she had pain in her left shoulder and arm.

"A mastectomy was performed to remove the accessory breast, and the patient was happy with cosmetic surgery.

"She fully recovered from the surgery, and started going out and meeting other people again."

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