Women's Index > Breasts > Breast Structure

Both men and women develop breasts which develop from the same embryological tissues. However, at puberty, female sex hormones, mainly estrogen, promote breast development which does not occur in men due to the higher level of testosterone. As a result, women's breasts become far more prominent than those of men.

Your breasts are essentially structures composed of adipose tissue with fat, mammary glands and lymph nodes which are mounted to the chest wall supported by a delicate system of muscles and ligaments, enclosed in skin and each breast has a nipple surrounded by an areola with variations in skin color.

The blood circulation in the breast is much the same as the rest of the body consisting of arteries and veins. The arteries bring fresh blood to the cells carrying along the nutrition that the breast and its tissues need for proper health, and the veins return blood back to the heart.

The lymph system as part of an intercellular fluid network transports toxins and other waste materials into the body for recycling and it is believed that congestion of the lymph system is a major contributor to breast cancer.

Within the mammary gland, it is the lactiferous ducts that produce milk, and these are distributed throughout the breast and each breast has 4–18 lactiferous ducts connected to the nipple to enable the baby feeding.

Human breast milk is custom produced for our babies to give them the best start in life.

Breast Shape
There is a wide variation in breast size and shape for many reasons, and the external appearance of the breasts does not indicate anything of their internal anatomy or potential for milk production and nursing.

Many factors influence the appearance, size, shape of the breasts as well as the position of the breast and nipple in relation to the body. A major factor is inheritance, our bodies generally inherit characteristics for our parents. These factors generally determine the position the breast sit on the chest and the size. 

The shape of a woman's breasts is dependent on the support provided by the suspensory ligaments that suspend the breasts from the clavicle (collar bone) and the clavi-pectoral fascia as well as the pectoral muscles and the skin.

Diet and exercise as well as general body posture will influence the growth of the breasts and normal life events, the hormonal changes of menstruation, pregnancy, breast feeding, menopause and weight loss or gain can all alter the size and shape of a woman's breasts.

Development
It is common for girls and women in early stages of development to have high and rounded breasts and over time most women experience some sagging. Some girls experience their breasts develop early from about age 10, whereas others may not grow until they are nearer 20.

Decline
Over a life time breasts often sag. This caused by many factors including poor posture, weakening of the skin, weakening of the supportive muscles and ligaments, wearing the wrong bra, excessive breast growth, and years of breast feeding. To prevent sag, we recommend a regular self care massage along with good diet, exercise, avoid wearing a bra as much as possible, avoid poison skin care products

One thing is sure, as we are all individuals, every woman's breasts are unique as you can see in these images below.