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ANATOMY

What is the Breast Made Up of?

The female breast consists of a core made up of lobules (milk glands) and ducts. This core is surrounded by a layer of fat, and overlying this is skin. Milk is produced on the lobules or milk glands and collects in small ducts called terminal ducts. These terminal duct join together to form larger ducts, which drain, via the nipple.

Each female breast has about 12 to 15 breast lobules. This understanding of breast anatomy is important because breast lump including cancer develop mostly within the milk ducts and glands. (See diagram of anatomy of breast).

The female breast starts to grow from puberty and is fully developed when the woman reaches her twenties. During the reproductive period (approximately 18 to 40 year of age), the breast is under the influence of oestrogen and progesterone (female hormones) whose levels vary with the menstrual cycle. This influence can cause the breast to be tender, hard and lumpy especially premenstrually. When a woman enters her mid-thirties, the breast undergoes regression in which the milk glands and duct become smaller and are replaced by fibrous and fat tissue.