In the first episode of Law and Order that we got to see Jack McCoy in, Second Opinion, dealt with a 'doctor' who was convincing women with breast cancer to not have surgery, not to have their breasts cut off and a lot of them died and there was a discussion between Lt. Van Buren and the detectives Mike Logan and Lennie Briscoe about it. And Anita said to Mike 'think back, 7th grade, what's the first thing that you noticed about little Susie sitting across from you? That's the first thing that made Susie feel like a woman and that hasn't changed'. So I want to get the women's opinions here: how much sense of being a woman do/did you get from having your chest develop when you were young?

I never thought about it, when it happened to me, they came in and I paid no attention to it whatsoever, it was my mother who actually noticed whenever I needed to go from training bras to sports bras, to me there wasn't any difference, I didn't know what the whole deal was about. Like my period, it wasn't something worth thinking about, it was just something that happened. And now, hell yes I would be mortified if I had to have, ANYTHING cut off even to save my life, but I don't base my sense of being of a woman around having my breasts. You know what? I was one before I got them, and I'll still be one, no matter what.

I don't equate it to my womanhood, but feel so bad for those who do when cancer strikes.

I honestly don't remember what I thought of developing breasts.

I budded at age 11 and the family thought I was going to end up with huge melons like my aunts. (THANK GOD I didn't!) The only time I was self-conscious is when my oldest brother called me Lemon Chest.

I would HATE having to lose mine, but there's breast cancer tendency in my family. So I'm always paranoid of it.

Bluesmama wrote:

I budded at age 11 and the family thought I was going to end up with huge melons like my aunts. (THANK GOD I didn't!) The only time I was self-conscious is when my oldest brother called me Lemon Chest.

I would HATE having to lose mine, but there's breast cancer tendency in my family. So I'm always paranoid of it.

One thing about it, if it were me I would not go in for a mastectomy right off the bat...a lot of women it turns out have their breasts cut off and then find out they didn't need to have it done, so I would be getting a second, third, fourth, fifth opinions before I decided to do anything.