The Female Breasts

The female breasts or ‘mammary glands’ are also called the accessory reproductive organs. Although they are not directly involved with pregnancy or delivery, they nevertheless play a vital role in the development of the baby.

During childhood, the breasts in a young girl consists of a simple system of ducts and are not very different from the breasts of a young boy.

Breasts start to develop from about the age of 9 - 10 years just before the onset of the first menstrual period, under the influence of hormones from the adrenal cortex as well as by estrogen and progesterone secreted by the ovaries.

The ducts develop into more intricate ductules. Small cells called alveoli capable of producing milk from blood develop around the ductules.

Fat is deposited around the acini to produce the typical rounded shape of the breasts.

Each breast is divided into 15 – 20 lobes separated from each other by fat. Each lobe is again divided into lobules that are made up of masses of alveoli clustered around the ductules. The milk is collected from each alveoli by these fine ductules which join each other to form a single larger duct called the lactiferous duct. Each lobule is drained by a single lactiferous duct.

Thus, each breast has 15 – 20 lactiferous ducts which drain the milk towards the nipple. Behind each nipple, the duct dilates to form the ampulla where the milk is stored. This milk is released through the lactiferous openings at the tip of the nipple at the time of suckling of the baby.

The areola is a pigmented area about 2.5cm in size placed at the center of the breast. It contains numerous sebaceous and sweat glands which keep it well moisturized.

The nipple is a pigmented projection in the center of the areola accommodating the 15 to 20 lactiferous ducts and their openings. It contains erectile muscles which causes the nipple to become erect on stimulation. Although the breast is embedded in fat, there is no fat under the areola or nipple.

The adult female breast is supported by fibrous tissue extending from the pectoral muscles on the chest wall below it. Thin strands of fibrous tissue also extend forwards from the breast to the skin.

The size of the breast depends to a large extent on the amount of fat surrounding the lobules. Since the ability of the breast to secrete milk depends on its lobules and not on the fat, the size of the breast has no relation to the amount of milk it can produce during breastfeeding.

Breast Changes During the Menstrual Cycle

The breast tissue undergoes cyclic changes in response to the level of estrogen and progesterone secreted during the menstrual cycle.

In the early part of the menstrual cycle, the level of estrogen rises, causing some amount of enlargement of the breast ducts. In the later part, just before the menstrual period, the high level of progesterone causes the enlargement of the alveolar cells.

These changes may cause enlargement and tenderness of the breasts just before the menstrual period. This is more commonly seen in women who have suffer from premenstrual tension(PMS) and in a condition known as fibrocystic disease of the breast.

The tenderness and the enlargement decreases once the menstrual period begins.

Breast Changes During Pregnancy

During the early pregnancy, the breast ducts and alveolar cells begin to develop and grow under the influence of a hormone called prolactin. More fat is depositied around the cells.

The areola becomes pigmented and a surrounding area of pigmented cells called the secondary areola may be seen in the second trimester of pregnancy. The nipples also become darker and more prominent. Fine veins may become prominenet on the surface of the breast.

In the third trimester of pregnancy, the breasts may secrete a thin liquid called colostrum. Colostrum secretion usually occurs on squeezing the breasts, but may also occur spontaneously.

After the childbirth and when breastfeeding starts, the breasts may increase even more in size. Complications like breast engorgement and breast abscesses can occur at this time.

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer can develop at any time in a women's reproductive life, although some types of breast cancers are more common after the menopause. Mammographies should be done every 2 years, especially in women who are at risk for breast cancer.

This site is a Question and Answer Site on Obstetrics and Gynecology . Here you can ask any medical health question you like from the privacy of your home. And our online gynecologist Dr.M.D.Mazumdar, MD (O&G), will reply within 24 hours.

The advantage of online consultation is that you can ask your question from the privacy of your home at any time you want - morning, day or midnight. You can plan out what you want to ask or even prepare a questionnaire about your concerns. Our expert would be glad to answer every detail.

We charge a nominal fee of USD 20 ($20) per question (for Indian viewers, the charge is a discounted USD 9, about Rs 400.00 only) to help keep this site up and running. All payments are made through the third-party Paypal credit card processing system to ensure absolute credit card security and reliability.

The procedure of asking a question is quite simple. Clicking on the link below takes you to the Paypal website where the payment is made. After the payment goes through, you will be directed back to this website where you can ask your question.

And rest assured, you will get your answer within 24 hours. And usually, even sooner.

THE FEMALE BREASTS

OTHER TOPICS IN FEMALE ANATOMY