All About Breasts By Natasha Kubis
Our Beautiful Biology Throughout history, the female breast has been a locus of art, sexuality, eroticism, fertility, abundance, and nurturance. The symbolism and politics of this sacred anatomy has evolved to fit the standards and beliefs of each time and culture. Ancient Egyptians, for example, represented breasts in their art, typically for religious purposes, while showing female deities breastfeeding pharaohs as proof of their divine status. The Ancient Romans were more liberal in expressing the sensuality of the female body in their masterpieces, while the Middle Ages, shaped by strict religious discipline, held more modest representations of the female body. Despite the varying, often objectifying, representations of the female breast in art and culture, breasts are an evolutionary powerhouse. With their complex system of glands, ducts, and high concentrations of estrogen receptors, breasts are responsible for fascinating 12
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anatomical functions, such as helping puberty occur at the optimal time and creating nature's most perfect food, nutrient-rich breast milk.
Breast Anatomy 101 The breasts are medically known as the mammary glands, and these glands are made up of lobules (milk-producing glandular structures), and a system of ducts that transport milk to the nipple for breastfeeding.
bulbs that produce milk. These structures are linked together by small tubes called ducts, which carry milk to the nipples. • Between the glandular tissue and ducts, the breast contains fat and connective tissue. • The nipple is in the center of a dark area of skin called the areola. The areola contains small glands that lubricate the nipple during breastfeeding.
• Breast tissue develops in the fetus along milk lines, extending from the armpit to the groin. The technical term for milk lines is ventral epidermal ridges, and these are the precursors to the mammary glands and nipples.
• Each breast also contains blood vessels and vessels that transport lymph. Lymph is a fluid that travels through a network of channels called the lymphatic system and carries cells that help the body fight infections.
• Each breast has 15 to 20 lobes that surround the nipple in a radial manner, like spokes on a wheel. Inside these lobes are smaller sections, called lobules.
Breasts Make Nature's Most Perfect Food
• At the end of each lobule are tiny
It is no wonder that breast milk is referred to as “Liquid Gold”. It contains 100% of the daily fat, proteins, vita-
