<P> Before puberty both males and females have a similar waist--hip ratio . At puberty, a girl's sex hormones, mainly estrogen, will promote breast development and a wider pelvis tilted forward for child bearing, and until menopause a woman's estrogen levels will cause her body to store excess fat in the buttocks, hips and thighs, but generally not around her waist, which will remain about the same size as it was before puberty . These factors result in women's waist--hip ratio (WHR) being lower than for males, although males tend to have a greater upper - body to waist - hip ratio (WHR) giving them a V shape look because of their greater muscle mass e.g. they generally have much larger, more muscular & broader shoulders, pectoral muscles, teres major muscles & latissimus dorsi muscles . </P> <P> During and after pregnancy, a woman experiences body shape changes . After menopause, with the reduced production of estrogen by the ovaries, there is a tendency for fat to redistribute from a female's buttocks, hips and thighs to her waist or abdomen . </P> <P> The breasts of girls and women in early stages of development commonly are "high" and rounded, dome - or cone - shaped, and protrude almost horizontally from a female's chest wall . Over time, the sag on breasts tends to increase due to their natural weight, the relaxation of support structures, and aging . Breasts sag if the ligaments become elongated, a natural process that can occur over time and is also influenced by the breast bouncing during physical activity (see Sports bra). </P> <P> The circumferences of bust, waist, and hips, and the ratios between them, was a widespread method for defining women's body shape in Western cultures for several decades after World War II, and are still used in some North American subcultures for this purpose . These include terms like "rectangular", "spoon", "inverted triangle", or "hourglass". The measurements are generally described using three numbers to describe the bodily dimensions, or "BWH". </P>

What is a good measurement for a woman's body