The Female Breast

THE FEMALE BREAST

The breasts are accessory organs of the reproductive system in females but they can be important sexually. The areola is the pigmented area surrounding the nipple; it is sexually sensitive. There are raised areolar glands that secrete a lubricating fluid that protects the areola during suckling. The entire areola is taken up by the baby’s mouth during breastfeeding.

Breast milk is made by the female mammary glands, which are in effect sweat glands that have been modified to produce milk. There are about twenty lactiferous ducts that open out into the nipple. Inside the breast itself, the lactiferous ducts open into lactiferous sinuses that lead to lobes containing clusters of cells that make milk. The cells are arranged in alveoli, which are the actual cell clusters.

There are myoepithelial cells around the alveoli that contract to eject milk into the lactiferous sinuses, where it is further drawn out by the action of suckling. The rest of the breast is made by fat, which is what determines the actual size of the breasts. This means that larger breasts do not put forth more milk than smaller breasts. There are suspensory ligaments that hold the breasts in place. Figure 11 shows the anatomy of the breasts:

Figure 11.