Are breasts a sportswoman's worst enemy? Gymnasts 'push themselves to the brink of starvation to avoid developing them' and athletes spend thousands to surgically reduce them

• Female's breasts threatening their sports career
• 'You don't see big titties in the Olympics,' female martial arts competitor says
  
• Cause back pain, rashes and discomfort
• Many hockey players and runners having breast reductions
• Elite gymnasts would undereat and overtrain to delay menstruation
• Siberian tennis player Simona Halep had breast reduction
  

By Bianca London

PUBLISHED: 11:12 EST, 11 July 2013 | UPDATED: 16:48 EST, 11 July 2013

Female athletes believe the development of breasts could seriously hinder their careers - and could even prevent them from reaching Olympic standard.

And some are going to drastic lengths to remove them - or even to stop them developing in the first place.

According to ESPN magazine, gymnasts push themselves to the 'brink of starvation' to avoid developing breasts and a host of professional athletes have spent a lot of money to surgically reduce them.

'For the modern athlete, the question isn't whether breasts get in the way -- it's a question of how to compete around them', the magazine reports.

While there's no suggestion that U.S. gymnast Alicia Sacramone has any qualms, many gymnasts are pushed to be as breastless for as long as possible to help their career

ESPN writer Amanda Hess cites female Ultimate Fight Championship competitor Ronda Rousey's fight in February as a perfect example of a female athlete being hindered by her breasts.

As soon Rousey flipped her opponent to the floor, she notes that she quickly rushed to adjust her sports bra straps - a move that ended in disaster.

'I got kicked straight in the chest right as I was trying to adjust my bra,' Rousey told Hess.

'You don't see big titties in the Olympics, and I think that's for a reason,' she added.

Joan Ryan, author of the 1995 expose of gymnastics and figure skating, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, wrote that elite gymnasts would undereat and overtrain to delay menstruation.

'You can't afford to have a woman's body and compete at the highest level,' she said.

Dominique Moceanu, who at 14 was the youngest competitor on the 1996 gold medal USA Olympic team added: 'The sport pushes us to be breastless little girls as long as possible. But though breasts were forbidden, privately we longed for them.'

In 1995, a controversial CBS golf analyst called Ben Wright told a newspaper that 'women are handicapped by having boobs. It's not easy for them to keep their left arm straight. Their boobs get in the way.'

And Wright may have a point. Judging by the latest research, women do seem to be held back - especially by larger breasts.

A third of women taking part in the 2012 London Marathon with cup sizes ranging between AA-HH reported breast pain from exercise; eight per cent even said the pain was 'distressing, horrible or excruciating'.

A typical A-cup breast weighs 0.43 of a pound and every additional cup size adds another 0.44 of a pound, according to research.

It has also been found that the nipples of a woman who has C- or D-cup breasts can accelerate up to 45 mph in one second: faster than a Ferrari.

Ronda Rousey (left) has spoken out to say: 'You don't see big titties in the Olympics, and I think that's for a reason'

Paul Banwell, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, McIndoe Surgical Centre, East Grinstead, has treated a number of elite athletes and sportswomen with this very problem.

He says that large breasts are associated with a whole host of health issues including back and neck pain, skin rashes and bra straps digging in. It can also lead to poor posture and low self-esteem, which can affect an athlete's performance.

'Over the years I have treated many elite athletes in a variety of sporting disciplines including hockey players, runners and female footballers'.

'Breasts can weigh a lot so they really can physically get in the way.

'Many athletes want to maintain their womanly figure but also reduce discomfort so it is a compromise and this must be discussed carefully with every patient,' he adds.

Dr Puneet Gupta, Cosmetic Doctor at The Private Clinic of Harley Street, the first doctor in the UK ever to offer a non-surgical technique for breast reductions said: 'For professional athletes who maintain intense training regimes, these problems will of course be felt far more heavily.

'Training for long hours each day will only intensify the discomfort, meaning the size of their breasts won’t just get in the way of them exercising, but it can also affect their downtime away from sport, because it may take longer for them to rest and recover if they are still in pain in the back and breast areas.

'Over the years the inability to exercise or take part in sport has certainly become a more commonly cited reason for patients I see who are seriously considering undergoing a reduction.

Dr Gupta says that medical advancements may also have contributed to the growing number of female athletes undergoing breast reductions.

'Now there are non surgical breast reduction methods that exist, which can allow women to undergo a reduction with very limited downtime.

'For females who train regularly or are actively involved in sport, but are being prevented from doing so because of the size of their breast, a minimally invasive reduction technique could be a feasible solution, reducing the amount of time they would need to take away from sport to recover.

Protest: South African beach volleyball player Alena Schurkova launched a big-boob-pride campaign after Simona Halep (pictured) announced she was having her breasts reduced from a 34DD to a 34C because they were slowing her reaction time

He does, however, warn of the dangers of breast reduction in young athletes, many who are under the age of 25.

'It’s important to note though that a breast reduction won’t be suitable for everyone. It is actually a procedure which is most suited to post-menopausal women, so a very young athlete, for example, might not be suitable for treatment,' he adds.

South African beach volleyball player Alena Schurkova  launched a big-boob-pride campaign after Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, 18, announced she was having her breasts reduced from a 34DD to a 34C because they were slowing her reaction time.

Schurkova argued: 'If she does this, it sends out the message that girls with big boobs can't play sports, and that is just wrong.

'I am 32E, and I have never found them to be a problem. I could be double what I have and I would still be okay to perform.'

One international lacrosse player agreed with Schurkova. She said: 'To hear that some women are trying to stop themselves from developing breasts altogether is horrendous!

'We work so hard to ensure that our bodies are kept in peak physical condition and there are of course different considerations to take on board depending on the sport that you do.

'Gymnasts need to be smaller and more agile, but they also need to be strong and athletic in order to do all of the stuff that they need to - starving themselves in order to get rid of their boobs is not going to help their career in the long term.

'I can't ever imagine my lacrosse coach telling me to starve myself in order to shrink my boobs in case they get in the way of my lacrosse stick! What a ridiculous notion.

'Your boobs are your boobs. It's the body that you've been given and any athlete should know that you have to look after it and care for it in order to reach the top of your game.'