"Doctors don’t know why more women, and in particular more young women, are opting for breast reductions."

"Some studies suggest that people are reaching puberty earlier, and the obesity epidemic is affecting breast size, [says Brian Labow, the director of the Adolescent Breast Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital]. 'And then there’s the whole environmental estrogen story,' he adds.  Environmental estrogens, often called xenoestrogens, are substances that mimic the hormone our bodies naturally produce, which is known to influence breast size. These chemicals are often found in pesticides, plastics, and meat from animals that have been given steroid hormone drugs to speed up growth. 'Is there estrogen in our soy? Is there estrogen in our various food products, chicken or cows? Are we putting in artificial or synthetic estrogen? I really don’t know.'"

From "The Rise of the Teenage Breast Reduction" in The Atlantic.

Xenoestrogens and macromastia might seem like a minor or non- problem, but it's something that is noticed. What are the less-noticed effects? And what about men (or what's left of men, after all that xenoestrogen)?