Anatomy of the Breast
May 3, 2008
The breast size and shape in different women varies a lot. Some women have more glandular tissue in their breasts, some have less. Some have more fatty tissue than others. Some have more connective tissue so their breasts are firmer, and yet some women are totally flat-chested.
The size and shape also varies over time in the same woman because of the changes during menstrual cycle, pregnancy, after weaning, and during menopause. Most of the size differences between women are due to the amount of fatty tissue in the breast. But practically all breasts can make milk and help nurture the baby – and that is what makes breasts beautiful!
The breasts are composed of fatty tissue that contains the glands responsible for milk production in late pregnancy and after childbirth. Within each breast, there are about 15 to 25 lobes formed by groups of lobules, the milk glands. Each lobule is composed of grape-like clusters of acini (also called alveoli), the hollow sacs that make and hold breast milk.
The breast contains lymph nodes which drain into multiple sites including the skin around the breast, the chest wall, and the axilla (under the arm). The axilla contain a large majority of the lymphatic drainage from the breast, and are therefore of particular importance when assessing metastases of breast cancer. Specifically, 75% of the lymphatic drainage of the breast is to the axillary lymph nodes.
Breasts begin developing in the embryo about 7 to 8 weeks after conception. They are unrecognizable at this stage consisting only of a thickening or ridge of tissue. From weeks 12 to 16, the various sub-components become more defined. Tiny groupings of cells begin to branch out laying the foundation for future ducts and milk producing glands.
Other tissues develop into muscle cells which will form the nipple (the protruding point of the breast) and areola (the darkened tissue surrounding the nipple). In the later stages of pregnancy, the mother’s hormones, which cross the placenta into the fetus, cause breast cells to organize into branching tube-like structures thus forming the milk ducts.
In the final 8 weeks, lobules, (milk producing glands), mature and actually begin to secrete a liquid substance called colostrum. In both female and male newborns, swellings underneath the nipples and areolae can easily be felt and a clear liquid discharge, colostrum or “witch’s milk”, can be seen. These represent the effect of the mother’s hormones and subside in the first few weeks of life.
Each breast contains 15 to 20 lobes arranged in a circular fashion. The fat (subcutaneous adipose tissue) that covers the lobes gives the breast its size and shape. Each lobe is comprised of many lobules, at the end of which are tiny bulb like glands, or sacs, where milk is produced in response to hormonal signals.
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