Breast
Medical Reviewing Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
What is the breast?
The breast refers generally to the front of the chest and medically
specifically to the mammary gland.
(The word "mammary" comes from "mamma," the Greek and Latin word
for the breast, which derives from the cry "mama" uttered by infants
and young children, sometimes meaning "I want to feed at the
breast.")
How is the mammary gland designed?
The mammary gland is a milk-producing structure that is composed
largely of fat cells (cells capable of storing fat). The fat deposits
are laid down in the breast under the influence of the female hormone, estrogen. Just as
the surge of estrogens at adolescence encourages this process,
androgens, such as testosterone, discourage it.
Within the mammary gland there is a complex network of
branching ducts (tubes or channels). These ducts exit from sac-like
structures called lobules.
The lobules in the breast are the glands that can produce milk in
females (or rarely in males) given the appropriate hormonal stimulation.
The breast ducts transport milk from the lobules out to the
nipple. The ducts exit from the breast at the nipple.
How are human breasts different than other primates?
Human breasts are unlike those of other primates. In other
primates, the breasts grow only when the female is producing milk (lactating). When the primate female has weaned her young, her
breasts flatten back down. In humans, the breasts develop at
adolescence usually well before any pregnancy and the breasts stay
enlarged throughout the remainder of life.
Next: What happens to the breasts in pregnancy? »
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