Long COVID and breast size changes: anyone else?

Hi, You’re the first person I’ve heard of that had that happen. Except me. Lol. I had covid in November 2021. Then the vaccine in April 2022. That’s when things went haywire. The first “symptom “ was breast changes. I went from 34A to a 36D in a couple of weeks. The left one hurt in
My armpit area. At the time none of my docs connected anything to long covid. Said I was getting older (I was 62 at the time and very athletic and slim). My boobs hadn’t been that big since the day after giving birth. Had all the mammograms and scans. Nothing.
I’ve been taking Low dose Naltrexone for about 5 months now and almost all of my symptoms have decreased big time. Breasts are now 34B. Finally feeling closer to myself than I have in a long time as well as getting lots of energy back. The only thing I can attribute the change to is that my hormones (even thyroid) went totally crazy. So now off of thyroid hormones as well as estrogen/progesterone/testosterone I was taking.
I hope this helps. You’re not alone!

I have said it to so many drs...you should be studying me. I am a medical puzzle. Plez care!!

@ewilson1960 is it too exuberant to say I LOVE YOU?! When I read this Thurs. 10/23, I was flabbergasted. .. like you were with my post.

I hadn't posted because it's still new and all that I searched did not tie it at all to COVID, long COVID, or vaccinations - only to hormones, aging, weight change, and other conditions, none of which I have. LONG past menopause at 78, I had early onset puberty (not quite 9) and early onset perimenopause (in my mid-30s) and menopause in my 40s. On and off HRT, I've been back on because I continued to have horrendous hot flashes and in my then profession (I retired in Dec. 2024) they were not an option not to mention how miserable I felt.

Please clarify for me:
- you WERE on thyroid replacement? On HRT?
- had you had COVID when this occurred or only the vaccinations? IF COVID, when and how long after did your breasts change?
- which vaccinations had you had before this occurred?
-From what you wrote about size, it sounds like both breasts changed at the same time, yes? One of mine has grown dramatically and the other shrunk dramatically. It's the shrunken boob [sounds like the name of a great and sarcastic band!]that on the mammogram 2 weeks ago showed "some abnormality". Nothing shown on the left - the one that hurts - aches - as does the underarm. It feels like I remember pre-period pain.

I read a bit about Naltrexone and it sounds like it will conflict with other medications I'm on. I have a slew of docs treating me and now not treating me. (It is horrible when THE specialist - an infectious disease doc who is considered one of the best in our area, affiliated with a well-respected med school and hospital, dropped me, saying there was no more she could "find" and not enough research for ALL my post-COVID symptoms. I have docs treating other symptoms, COSTCO tested my hearing and yes, it's 70% gone from COVID so hearing aids, and the list goes on. NO one but me coordinating all of it.

So...does Mayo allow us to someone communicate privately if you are willing? I do not want to bore everyone with our boobs!

Thank you for seeing this and responding. It allows me for 11/3 and the super-duper whatever they are doing mammogram or other imaging to say "it's not just me"!

Gratitude in abundance.
JE (Joan)

Hi,
Saw your post after searching about breasts and other tissues rapidly losing the form and structure
Ive always been a 34B size 4 and now have breasts larger than when I nursed my children, that have no shape, now like water balloons. Very strange and uncomfortable
I cant make sense of any physiological process that would cause this to occur
I too am in a Long Covid Program at a very well known medical center in southern Connecticut and the lead Dr (female) when I first met her two years ago commented, as if she had seen something before but didn’t own up to that, and said “ it’s almost as if your tissues that are holding you together or are breaking down” But did not follow up on this in any way. Then about a year later at our follow up appointment, I asked her about this and she brushed it off and didn’t even answer. A few months later at next appointment, she commented they were thinking of giving it a break between us, like she was going to discharge me but other LC symptoms were showing, that are significant POTS like, didn’t discharge me. I was shocked that any doctor or program would discharge someone or anyone with horrible LC symptoms.
The program gave me two referrals in the very beginning that have been helpful but have done nothing essentially nothing except f/Up appointments to bill for.
I’ve asked about Dysautonomia, about MAST CELL ACTIVATION syndrome, and histamine intolerance and nothing has come from it. Im wondering what the motivations are to do nothing
There seemingly are no organized tracts for nearly 40 million people in the country and 100’s of millions through the world to help
This site from MAYO is very helpful, but it is tragic that most long Covid suffers if they have any improvements because of research they’ve done and found other patients should be sites that may be found something to help
I hope you are improving and keeping your own research going for any help possible
Thanks for sharing

@tiredoflc -I've not logged in for some time - and have neglected some who have posted to my previous posts. My apologies. It's that I am so tired and writing from a desk w/ a computer is easier than on my phone.

Your experience of being 'dismissed', discharged are similar to mine. The Infectious Disease doc I saw at a major teaching hospital in DC did the same after 2 in person visits and sending me for other tests (cardiac and one other that I can't remember.) I tried to make appointments with her but instead of writing ANYthing, she just turned the appointments down!

At the time, my breasts had not changed sizes or not enough for me to notice. I had so many other symptoms for which there was no accounting other than LC. POTS was only one because of periodic rapid heart rate; echocardiogram showed my heart to be fine.

I've now seen an endocrinologist at the same teaching hospital, after having blood work done via orders from my new Infectious Disease doc (who I LOVE) at another teaching hospital. So far NO ONE can explain my breast size change. The much larger now left one is so uncomfortable and gets in the way. Yours must be FAR worse for which I am so very sorry.

Next up for me: another blood draw to recheck the labs. The Endo. said I'd been taking my thyroid (hypo) medication incorrectly altho NO other TSH labs had ever shown the huge discrepancy when I took the meds the "wrong way" over years.

Today is my birthday and I'm going for a new hearing test. Hearing loss came about 9 months into this "journey" and it seems my hearing has lessened so I'm hoping the hearing aids can be adjusted v. buying new to reprogram.

I'm exhausted. Fed up. Angry. Why are we all being treated still by too many as if this is "all in our heads" until labs show it's not??

My research and reading continue. My buying of things that are supposed to help [Lipedema was also activated by COVID/Long COVID - and I learned I must have always had it but it never showed. It's a DNA illness and tho' I'm far from a size 4, and have always had "peasant thighs" (!), NOT like this. I still believe that while it may be lipedema, the right leg infection at the beginning of COVID was more than that and no one is willing to check.]|

To us both .. comfort from each other and all here since we are not getting it from doctors!
JE