Lauren Ayres bought new bras in January but was baffled when just a matter of weeks later she was ‘literally falling out of them’. Then the doctors gave her a ‘shock’ diagnosis
A woman who put her rapid breast growth down to hormone changes has warned others to get ‘checked out’ after doctors gave her a shocking diagnosis.
Lauren Ayres says her boobs grew three sizes in the space of three weeks. She had her breasts measured before buying new bras in January, but was ‘baffled’ when she was ‘literally falling out of them’ not long after.
The 28-year-old’s chest grew from a size 30E to 32G – skipping sizes F and double FF entirely – but she ‘didn’t really think much of it’.
And when she began experiencing daily headaches, irregular menstrual cycles, and extreme tiredness, she assumed it to be hormone changes and didn’t think it ‘was serious enough’ to go to the doctors.
READ MORE: Tragic diagnosis that led to couple jumping hand in hand 180ft from Whitby cliffREAD MORE: Two in three women not checking for breast cancer ‘don’t know what to look for’
However, during a routine blood test in July, doctors discovered that her prolactin levels – a hormone produced by the pituitary gland – were four times their usual amount.
Lauren was booked in for an MRI scan, and was then ‘shocked’ to be told she had a brain cyst on her pituitary gland.
The customer communications specialist shared a video on TikTok captioned ‘not the diagnosis I expected this year but here we are’. In the clip, she can be seen looking down at her breasts in confusion, with the caption ‘I’ve randomly gone up a few cup sizes’, before the next caption reveals a doctor said ‘you’ve got a cyst on your brain’.
READ MORE: ‘I took lozenges for sore throat – then learned I had cancer from oral sex’
Lauren is now waiting on more blood test results to hopefully confirm the cyst is benign. She says she is ‘relieved’ doctors discovered the cyst when they did and encourages others to ‘get checked out’ if they notice irregular changes.
Lauren, who lives in Luton, Hertfordshire, said: “I would never have thought it would turn out to be a brain cyst. Some things were changing from six months ago but they weren’t things I’d necessarily go to the doctors for.
“I got [my breasts] measured back in January and I bought all new bras and literally I was falling out of them [weeks later]. I didn’t fit and it was so baffling. I’d put on a little bit of weight but not for my cup size to go up by that much.”
She continued: “I was getting headaches every single day and I couldn’t go a day without a nap. I just thought it was stress. If I was getting stressed out they were getting significantly worse. It was behind the eyes so they were more like cluster headaches.
“My [menstrual] cycle was changing. Beforehand I was very regular but then it could be two weeks late with nothing triggering it basically.
READ MORE: ‘I was told lump in neck was from straining during labour – it was much worse’
“I didn’t really think that much of it. I knew it was annoying me. I have endometriosis so I know it’s hard to get a diagnosis for things. I was just chalking it down to hormone issues but I didn’t know how bad it was. It’s not something I thought was serious enough to go [to the doctors].”
The MRI scan showed Lauren that she had a 14cm by 12cm cyst on her pituitary gland that was causing her symptoms. She is now waiting for further blood test results, optometrist results to check her vision, and an endocrinology appointment.
Lauren said: “It was a routine blood test and they said it was a really good test because it ended up covering prolactin, which isn’t normal.
“If I’d gone for just routine bloods then I wouldn’t realise anything is wrong and they didn’t check prolactin so I’m so relieved.
“The prolactin was a lot higher than normal. Normally it’s the hormone your body makes when you’re pregnant or breastfeeding but obviously I’m not. The most likely reason for this to happen is a brain tumour.
“It was quite a shock when [the MRI] came back. I didn’t even think it would genuinely be [a brain cyst].
“It’s on the pituitary gland which makes the hormones. That’s why my cycle would be changing and would explain the cup size change. Although it doesn’t sound massive it’s still a growth in your brain that’s pushing on it and causing some problems.”
She added: “The most likely thing is that it is benign but there could be a chance it’s cancerous. They’ve said so far it is benign so hopefully it stays that way.”
Now Lauren wants to spread awareness about her diagnosis and encourage others to get checked out if they notice any irregular symptoms. “If it’s your cycle changing or if you’re noticing anything slightly different just go to the doctor to get it checked out,” she said.
“I know a lot of us and especially women don’t feel like we’re taken as seriously within the medical industry.
“Sometimes it feels like a fight to be seen or to be taken as seriously as we should but if it’s something that has always been regular it’s definitely worth getting your blood checked and ask for prolactin levels [to be checked].”
