Originally posted by BDSM_Tourguide
From my experience, pregnancy seems to cause the areolae to change color and enlarge. Although, this does seem to go away after birth and during breastfeeding.
Yes the hormonal changes of pregnancy cause a very significant darkening which makes the areolae much more prominent. This is associated with the growth of the glandular portion of the breast in the first trimester. If you notice there is also a darkening of the genital skin. I suppose that this is an effect of progestins on the rate of sectretion of melanin by the melanocytes although I have never seen a single paper on this. Perhaps some day I will look into this. Androgens also inversely influence pigmentation although I have always thought this to be indirect through inhibition of hair growth by DHT.

Although in some women there is significant change in breast size through the menstrual cycle these cyclical hormonal effects appear to be too short term to affect areola size and color. I do not know of any correlation between hormonal levels in populations of women and areola size.

The more I learn about melanocytes and the pilosebaceous unit the less I know.