http://www.imaginis.

com/breast-health-non-cancerous/breast-anatomy-and-physiology Breast Anatomy and Physiology It is important for women to become familiar with the normal anatomy and physiology (function) of their breasts so that they can recognize early signs of possible abnormalities. This section outlines basic information on breast composition, development, and typical changes from puberty to pregnancy to menopause.

Breast Composition The breast is a mass of glandular, fatty, and fibrous tissues positioned over the pectoral muscles of the chest wall and attached to the chest wall by fibrous strands called Coopers ligaments. A layer of fatty tissue surrounds the breast glands and extends throughout the breast. The fatty tissue gives the breast a soft consistency.

Image courtesy of NCI/NIH

The glandular tissues of the breast house the lobules (milk producing glands at the ends of the lobes) and the ducts (milk passages). Toward the nipple, each duct widens to form a sac (ampulla). During lactation, the bulbs on the ends of the lobules produce milk. Once milk is produced, it is transferred through the ducts to the nipple.

The breast is composed of:

milk glands (lobules) that produce milk ducts that transport milk from the milk glands (lobules) to the nipple nipple areola (pink or brown pigmented region surrounding the nipple) connective (fibrous) tissue that surrounds the lobules and ducts fat

Arteries carry oxygen rich blood from the heart to the chest wall and the breasts and veins take deoxygenated blood back to the heart. The axillary artery extends from the armpit and supplies the outer half of the breast with blood; the internal mammary artery extends down from neck and supplies the inner portion of the breast.

Initial Breast Development Human breast tissue begins to develop in the sixth week of fetal life. Breast tissue initially develops along the lines of the armpits and extends to the groin (this is called the milk ridge). By the ninth week of fetal life, it regresses (goes back) to the chest area, leaving two breast buds on the upper half of the chest. In females, columns of cells grow inward from each breast bud, becoming separate sweat glands with ducts leading to the nipple. Both male and female infants have very small breasts and actually experience some nipple discharge during the first few days after birth.

Female breasts do not begin growing until pubertythe period in life when the body undergoes a variety of changes to prepare for reproduction. Puberty usually begins for women around age 10 or 11. After pubic hair begins to grow, the breasts will begin responding to hormonal changes in the body. Specifically, the production of two hormones, estrogen and progesterone, signal the development of the glandular breast tissue. This initial growth of the breast may be somewhat painful for some girls. During this time, fat and fibrous breast tissue becomes more elastic. The breast ducts begin to grow and this growth continues until menstruation begins (typically one to two years after breast development has begun). Menstruation prepares the breasts and ovaries for potential pregnancy.

Before puberty : the breast is flat except for the nipple that sticks out from the chest Early puberty Late puberty : the areola becomes a prominent bud; breasts begin to fill out : glandular tissue and fat increase in the breast, and areola becomes flat

http://www.library.ayurvediccure.com/breast-enlargement/overview.htm Normal Anatomy and Physiology of Breast In this era in which we are being aware of so many facts of our body there is also a need of knowing our breast anatomy and its working. Due to certain reasons there have been increases in cases of breast related diseases.

Below is explained the basic anatomical structure and physiological action that leads to the development of the breast.

In the embryo the female baby stats developing breast tissue at about 2 months of fertilization of the egg. At that stage they are not noticeable. At about the end of 4 th month there is the development of milk ducts that becomes functional only after the birth of the baby of that individual. There are other tissues also formed that would lead to the formation of nipple. Due to the permeability of the placenta some hormones from the mother influences the breast tissue and they becomes organized. In the final trimester these organized cells forming the milk duct stats secreting a nutritional substance known as colostrums which is a liquid that gets deposited below the breast. Certain swellings are also seen on the tissue and the breast.

These breasts are almost unnoticeable in females till they achieve puberty. At the age of puberty there is secretion of one of the most powerful hormone known as oestrogen and later there is secretion of progesterone that has a great influence on the body of a female. Due to these hormones there is seen a remarkable change in the females morphology and there is development of breast tissue as these both hormones influence ovary as well as the mammary tissue.

Breast if seen histological is formed of various lobes of glandular tissue that are mainly required for producing milk. In a breast there are almost 15 to 20 lobes that are arranged in the cycle wheel style. The glandular tissue is arranged on the upper quadrant of the breast. This is the reason why some females feel some kind of tenderness prior to the beginning of the menses.

Breast as a whole is mostly composed of fatty tissue. There are present about 15 to 20 lobes that are further divided into alveoli. The females who are not pregnant the alveoli are small and non functional. As the women becomes pregnant the alveoli present in her breast enlarges and during the birth of the baby they produces milk. There is a ligament that keeps the breast in its shape and that is known as

coopers ligament. With the age and effects of gravity the ligaments becomes loose and this is the reason why with the age breast sags down.

The excess of drainage of the breast fluids are drained off through the lymphatic system. These are helpful in draining off the various infections that gets creep into the breast

Breast Anatomy http://www.ayurvediccure.com/breast_anatomy.htm The breast is a mound of glandular, fatty and fibrous tissue located over the pectoralis muscles of the chest wall and attached to these muscles by fibrous strands (Cooper's ligaments). The breast itself has no muscle tissue, which is why exercises will not build up the breasts. A layer of fat surrounds the breast glands and extends throughout the breast. This fatty tissue gives the breast a soft consistency and gentle, flowing contour. The actual breast is composed of fat, glands with the capacity for milk production when stimulated by special hormones, blood vessels, milk ducts to transfer the milk from the glands to the nipples and sensory nerves that give feeling to the breast. These nerves extend upward from the muscle layer through the breast and are highly sensitive, especially in the regions of the nipple and areola, which accounts for the sexual responsiveness of some women's breasts. Because the breast is made up of tissues with different textures, it may not have a smooth surface and often feels lumpy. This irregularity is especially noticeable when a woman is thin and has little breast fat to soften the contours; it becomes less obvious after menopause, when the cyclic changes and endocrine stimulation of the breast have ceased and the glandular tissue softens. Estrogen supplements after menopause can cause continued lumpiness. The breast glands drain into a collecting system of ducts that go to the base of the nipple. The ducts then extend through the nipple and open on its outer surface. In addition to serving as a channel for milk, these ducts are often the source of breast problems

The ducts end in the nipple, (which projects from the surface of the breast), and are a conduit for the milk secreted by the glands and suckled by a baby during breast-feeding. There is considerable variation in women's nipples. In some, the nipple is constantly erect; in others, it only becomes erect when stimulated by cold, physical contact or sexual activity. Still other women have inverted nipples.

Surrounding the nipple is a slightly raised circle of pigmented skin called the areola. The nipple and areola contain specialized muscle fibers that make the nipple erect and give the areola its firm texture. The areola also contains Montgomery's glands, which may appear as small, raised lumps on the surface of the areola. These glands lubricate the areola and are not symptoms of an abnormal condition.

Beneath the breast is a large muscle, the pectoralis major, which assists in arm movement; the breast rests on this muscle. Originating on the chest wall, the pectoralis major extends from deep under the breast to attach to the upper arm. It also helps form the axillary fold, created where the arm and chest wall meet. The axilla (armpit) is the depression behind this fold.

Each woman's breasts are shaped differently. Individual breast appearance is influenced by the volume of a woman's breast tissue and fat, her age, a history of previous pregnancies and lactation, her heredity, the quality and elasticity of her breast skin and the influence of hormones.

http://www.tree.com/health/anatomy-breast.aspx Anatomy of the Breast Knowing the various parts of the breast, what they do and why they're important is critical to identifying any abnormalities that might appear in your breasts. Understanding female breast anatomy can help you understand which changes are normal and healthy, and which may signal disease.

Female Breast Anatomy Although the human breasts are located over the pectoral muscles of the chest wall, the human breast doesn't actually contain any muscle tissue. Your breasts, which are made up of glandular, fatty and fibrous tissues, have a number of different functional parts: Areola (colored area around the nipple) Blood vessels and lymph vessels Ducts (milk passages) Fatty tissue Fibrous tissue that surrounds the lobules and ducts Lobes Lobules (milk glands) Nipple.

A layer of fatty tissue surrounds the breast glands and runs throughout the entire breast. This layer of tissue gives the female breast its soft consistency.

Female Breast Milk Production Each breast has 15 to 20 sections (or "lobes") beneath the nipple and areola, arranged in a circular pattern that resembles a daisy. Lobes are part of the milk production system; each lobe contains many smaller milk-producing glands called "lobules." Each lobule has tiny bulbs, called "alveoli." When a woman is lactating, the alveoli produce milk in response to hormonal signals. When milk is produced, the ducts transport it from the lobules to the nipple. As each duct gets closer to the nipple, it widens to form a sac called an "ampulla." The spaces between the lobules and the ducts are filled with fatty tissue, connective tissue and ligaments. As the milk production system is roughly the same size in all women, breast size and shape depend on the amount of fat in the breasts.

Arterial and Lymphatic Anatomy of the Breast Arteries and capillaries carry oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the breasts. The axillary artery, which extends from the armpit, supplies blood to the outer half of the breast. The internal mammary artery, which extends down from the neck, supplies blood to the inner part of the breast. The human breast also contains lymph vessels. The lymphatic system is part of your immune system and contains blood vessels, lymph ducts and lymph nodes. These work to fight off harmful or infectious substances within your body. Clusters of lymph nodes are located under your arm, above your collarbone, behind your breastbone and in various other parts of your body.

Resources

Imaginis Corporation. (2010). Breast anatomy and physiology. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://www.imaginis.com/breast-health-non-cancerous/breast-anatomy-and-physiology

Mayo Clinic. (2009). Slide show: Female breast anatomy. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/breast-cancer-early-stage/BC00001

New York-Presbyterian Hospital. (n.d.) Breast anatomy. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://nyp.org/health/breast-anatomy.html

Anatomy and Physiology of Mammary Glands (Breast) Posted by: Daisy Jane, RN November 19, 2010 Comments (0) Email This Post Print This Post http://nursingcrib.com/anatomy-and-physiology/anatomy-and-physiology-of-mammary-glands-breast/

Mammary Glands (Breast)

Definition The breast or mammary gland is a highly efficient organ mainly used to produce milk and is a mass of glandular, fatty, fibrous tissues. Mammary glands are exocrine glands that are enlarged and developmentally are modified sweat glands that are actually part of the skin. They are also classified as tubualveolar glands and are located in the breast lying on the top of the pectoralis major muscles. These glands are present in males and females; however, they normally function in the latter gender only.

Function The biological role of the mammary glands is to produce milk to nourish a newborn baby and to pass antibodies needed for babys protection against infections (passive immunity) while the immature immune is initiating its function.

Breast Anatomy The breast is internally composed of the following parts: Lobes and Lobules

Internally, the mammary gland is composed of 15-25 lobes that radiates around the nipple. Each lobe consists of about 20-40 lobules, a smaller milk duct that contains 10-100 supporting alveoli.

Glandular tissue

Glandular tissues are responsible for milk production and transportation which is composed of: Alveoli epithelial grape-like cluster of cells where milk is produced. Ductules branch-like tubules extending from the clusters of alveoli and empties to larger ducts called lactiferous ducts. Lactiferous ducts widen underneath the areola and nipple to become lactiferous sinuses. Lactiferous sinuses collect milk from lactiferous ducts and narrows to an opening in the nipple (nipple pore).

Connective tissue

Connective tissue supports the breast. Coopers ligaments are fibrous bands that attach the breast to the chest wall and keep the breast from sagging.

Blood nourishes breast tissue and supplies the nutrients to the breast needed for milk production.

Nerves make the breast sensitive to touch, hence allowing the babys suck to stimulate the release of hormones that trigger the let-down or milk ejection reflex (oxytocin) and the production of milk (prolactin). Lymph nodes removes waste products

Adipose tissue (fat) protects the breast from injury.

The breast is externally composed of the following parts: Areola pigmented area at the center of each breast. Nipple protruding area at the center of each breast.

Physiology The function of producing milk is regulated by hormones. Stimulation of the female sex hormone, estrogen, causes the development of glandular tissue in the female breast during puberty. Increase estrogen levels during pregnancy causes the breast size to increase in size through the accumulation of adipose tissues. Presence of progesterone stimulates the growth and maturation of the duct system. During pregnancy levels of estrogen and progesterone rises (levels are needed to sustain pregnancy) that further enhances the development of the mammary glands. This is the main reason why pregnant women has larger and more enhanced breast. Another hormone important for the implementation of mammary gland function is the presence of prolactin and oxytocin. Without these hormones, milk will not be produced and ejected out of the breast. Prolactin from the anterior pituitary gland stimulates the production of milk in the glandular tissues while oxytocin causes the ejection of milk from the glands.

image from breastcancersource.com, green-beauty.info