Are there any benefits to being small breasted? Our society doesn't seem to think so. And teens sure don't get that impression when one's bra size can be an important criterion for who gets asked out to the prom — it's sad but true: the DDs sometimes get asked out before the A-cup chicks do.

But despite what the epidemic of breast-enhancement surgeries and the countless magazine covers of large-breasted women are telling us, there are many advantages to being smaller breasted. Here are some:

• It's easier to do a breast self-exam because there's less breast tissue to root through and check. This is also a time-saver when you do your breast self-exam each month.
• As we age, smaller breasts usually remain perkier than larger ones. There's less breast tissue pulling on the Cooper's ligaments, which get stretched out over time, causing larger breasts to sag. So, smaller-breasted women get less of an urge to have breast lifts as a result.
• Your back will thank you for the lighter load.
• It's easier to get a properly fitted bra.

Here are some questions women have asked me, along with my answers, which you may be interested to read:

• Do smaller-breasted women produce less breast milk when nursing a baby? No. This is a supply-and-demand system: The more the breast is stimulated, the more milk comes in and is available for the baby. Breast feeding (or pumping) every two hours will increase breast-milk production and flow more than pumping less often.
•  Do smaller-breasted women get breast cancer as often as larger-breasted women? There's no research that has revealed any differences in the incidence of cancer based on a woman's cup size. However, we do know from research that women who have had breast reductions have a smaller incidence of breast cancer, possibly because they have less breast tissue where cancer can grow.

There is one downside to being small-breasted, though: A mammogram may be a bit more uncomfortable than it is for someone who is large breasted. That's because to do the exam correctly on a small-breasted woman, the mammography technician must tug on you a bit more, to make sure all breast tissue is captured between the mammogram paddles before taking those pictures.

But that's a picture well worth taking!