Normal breasts can range in size, shape, appearance, and texture and may change throughout life.
The primary function of the female breasts is to produce breast milk and breastfeed a baby.
Breasts can also play a role in female sexuality and pleasure.
These include:
What Are the Layers of the Breast?
Most breast cancers develop in the upper part of the breast close to the armpit.
Breast Anatomy
The female breast contains many different parts with varying functions.
Each nipple contains milk duct openings through which breast milk flows.
Nipples are held erect by small, smooth muscles that respond to signals from yourautonomic nervous system.
Nipple erection can be resulting from cold temperature or stimulation.
What parts of the breast hurt during early pregnancy?
The entire breast may be uncomfortable in early pregnancy.
As the breast size increases, the ligaments in the breast stretch and may feel painful.
All of these variations are normal.
There are small bumps on the areola.
These are either hair follicles or Montgomery glands, which are sebaceous (oil) glands.
These might be harmless, but could also be symptoms of Paget’s disease.
Montgomery glands may become blocked, like pimples, and become swollen.
A cyst may develop beneath a blocked gland.
This can feel uncomfortable, but it is not a sign of breast cancer.
Lobes
Each breast has 1520 lobes that contain clusters of lobules, which produce breast milk.
Each lobe has 2040 lobules.
Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for 10% of breast cancers.
ILC starts in the breasts lobules and invades surrounding tissue.
ILC can feel like a thick or full area that feels different than the rest of the breast.
These consist of abnormal cells.
Though they aren’t cancerous themselves, having them raises your risk of breast cancer in the future.
Breast milk is released from tiny openings at the surface of the nipple.
These holes have tiny sphincters (rings of muscle) that close to prevent leakage when not breastfeeding.
The ducts just below the areola widen before they enter the nipple.
This wide, saclike area is called an ampulla.
During breastfeeding, a milk duct can become plugged, leading to an infection called mastitis.
Mastitis can be very uncomfortable but usually responds well to heat and antibiotics.
Breast cancer can also occur in the milk ducts.
Cancer beginning in the milk ducts is calledinvasive ductal carcinoma.
Are breasts part of the reproductive system?
The blood supply provides oxygen and nutrients to the breast tissue.
Other blood vessels include thethoracoacromialartery, lateral thoracic artery, as well as capillaries and veins.
This can, however, disrupt the tiny blood vessels, leading to loss of your nipple later on.
Maintaining the blood supply in the nipple helps to keep these tissues alive after amastectomy.
Lymph Vessels
Lymph vessels transport lymph, the fluid that helps your bodys immune system fight infection.
Symptoms of IBC include dimpling or thickening of breast skin and may look and feel like an orange peel.
Other symptoms include breast swelling, itching, and breast skin that is red or purple.
The breast’s lymph system plays a role in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancers overall.
These nerves make the breasts sensitive to touch, cold, and a nursing baby.
When a baby begins nursing, nerves are stimulated to release milk from the milk ducts.
This is called the let-down reflex and can cause a tingling sensation.
The breasts themselves do not contain any muscles.
These ligaments run from the collarbone and chest wall throughout the breast and up to the areola.
The ligaments can stretch over time, causing the breast to sag.
“Mastalgia” is a term that means breast pain, and this can have many causes.
Another cause of mastalgia can be pain from the ligaments in the breast as they are being stretched.
A condition called folliculitis can occur in the hair follicles.
With folliculitis, the follicle around the hair becomes inflamed and may be red, swollen, and painful.
A boil can form if an infection in the inflamed follicle goes deeper into the surface.
What are the areas of breast pain?
You may feel it in one or both breasts or in your underarm.
Dense breasts are normal, but they are associated with slightly higher chances of developing breast cancer.
Dense breast tissue also makes it harder to see breast cancer on a mammogram.
Male Breasts
Male breasts develop from the same cells as female breasts.
Male breasts, however, have underdeveloped milk ducts.
Males can develop a condition called gynecomastia, which causes enlargement of the breast tissue.
Summary
The outer part of the female breast includes the nipple and areola.
The female breast produces milk to feed an infant, but it also plays a role in female sexuality.
Many conditions can affect the breast, including cysts, mastitis, and different types of breast cancer.
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