female breast
The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso in humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is a major secondary sex distinction between females and males. There is also considerable variation in size between individuals. Permanent breast growth during puberty is caused by estrogens in conjunction with the growth hormone. Female humans are the only mammals that permanently develop breasts at puberty; all other mammals develop their mammary tissue during the latter
AI overview
The female breast is a soft tissue prominence on the upper front of the torso that develops during puberty due to hormones like estrogen and growth hormone. Breasts are important because they distinguish females from males physically and are unique among mammals in their permanent development after puberty.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Anatomy.Name
- Breast
- Anatomy.Image
- Weibliche brust en.jpg
- Anatomy.Caption
- Morphology of female human breasts, with the areola, nipple, intermammary cleft and inframammary fold
- Anatomy.Image2
- File:Chest young male yellow.jpg
- Anatomy.Caption2
- Male human breasts with defined pectoral muscles
- Anatomy.Artery
- Internal thoracic artery
- Anatomy.Vein
- Internal thoracic vein
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
33 sectionsContents
- Etymology and terminology
- Evolutionary development
- Structure
- Glandular structure
- Lymphatic drainage
- Morphology
- Support
- Development
- Puberty
- Hormone replacement therapy
- Changes during the menstrual cycle
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Menopause
- Cancer
- Breastfeeding
- Exercise
- Clinical significance
- Breast cancer
- Male breasts
- Plastic surgery
- Society and culture
- General
- Art history
- Body image
- Clothing
- Sexual characteristic
- Anthropomorphic geography
- Measurement
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The breasts are two prominences located on the upper ventral region of the torso in humans and other primates. Both sexes develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. The relative size and development of the breasts is a major secondary sex distinction between females and males. There is also considerable variation in size between individuals. Permanent breast growth during puberty is caused by estrogens in conjunction with the growth hormone. Female humans are the only mammals that permanently develop breasts at puberty; all other mammals develop their mammary tissue during the latter period of pregnancy.
In females, the breast serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secretes milk to feed infants. Subcutaneous fat covers and envelops a network of ducts that converge on the nipple, and these tissues give the breast its distinct size and globular shape. At the ends of the ducts are lobules, or clusters of alveoli, where milk is produced and stored in response to hormonal signals. During pregnancy, the breast responds to a complex interaction of hormones, including estrogens, progesterone, and prolactin, that mediate the completion of its development, namely lobuloalveolar maturation, in preparation of lactation and breastfeeding.