Breast

The term breast, also known by the Latin mamma in anatomy, refers to the upper ventral region of an animal's torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. Furthermore, the breasts are parts of a female mammal's body which contain the organs that secrete milk used to feed infants.

Size and shape

Most of the human female breast is actually adipose tissue (fat) and connective tissue, rather than the mammary glands and there is naturally a great variety in the size and shape of breasts in women (and men), with size being affected by various factors including genetics, weight, eating habits and exercise.

Related Topics:
Adipose tissue - Fat - Connective tissue - Genetics - Weight

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As breasts are mostly composed of adipose tissue, their size can change over time if the woman gains or loses weight. It is also typical for them to grow in size during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding, mainly due to hypertrophy of the exocrine gland in response to the hormone prolactin. The size of a woman's breasts usually fluctuates during the menstrual cycle, particularly with premenstrual water retention. Use of the contraceptive pill can also cause an increase in breast size.

Related Topics:
Adipose tissue - Pregnancy - Breastfeeding - Hypertrophy - Exocrine gland - Hormone - Prolactin - Menstrual cycle - Premenstrual water retention - Contraceptive pill

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is a common misconception that human female breasts are shaped the way that they are so that they can feed babies by producing milk, but there is no relationship between breast size and ability to breastfeed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The size of a woman's breasts is typically expressed as a 'bra size'. According to the results of the 'Size UK' survey http://www.sizeuk.org/, the average bra size in the UK has increased from a 34B in the 1950s to a 36C today, and the average size for US women is a 34B as of 2005 by the CDC. Women with exceptionally large breasts may experience back pain, whilst in some Western societies there is a belief amongst some that small breasts make a woman less sexually attractive. Many women suffer from insecurity about their breasts, and in some cultures it is not uncommon for women who are unhappy with their size to seek surgery either to artificially reduce or enlarge their breasts.

Related Topics:
Bra size - US - 2005 - CDC - Back pain - Western societies - Sexually attractive - Surgery - Reduce - Enlarge

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is typical for a woman's breasts to be unequal in size (statistically it is slightly more common for the left breast to be the larger), particularly whilst the breasts are developing during puberty. In some rare cases, one breast may be greatly larger or smaller than the other, or fail to develop entirely. A number of medical conditions are known to cause abnormal development of the breasts during puberty. Virginal breast hypertrophy is a condition which involves excessive growth of the breasts during puberty, and in some cases the continued growth beyond the usual pubescent age. Breast hypoplasia is a condition where one or both breasts fail to develop during puberty.

Related Topics:
Puberty - Virginal breast hypertrophy - Hypoplasia

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~