Section 1: anatomy Flashcards
(124 cards)
acinus
- A group of secretory cells
- In the breast, an acinus secretes milk.

alveolus
- a small sac at the end of a lobule to which milk is secreted and stored
- Located in the mammary gland

areola
Pigmented skin that surrounds the nipple.
colostrum
- The fluid in the breast at the end of pregnancy and in the early postpartum period
estrogen
- hormone
- causes growth of mammary tissue during part of each menstrual cycle
- assists in the secretion of prolactin during pregnancy.
lactiferous duct
- Milk ducts
- 15 to 24 tubes that collect milk from the smaller ductules and carry it to the nipple.

Lactobacillus bifidus
- principal Gram-positive bacillus found in the intestinal flora of breastfed infants.
lactoferrin
- A protein
- important immunological component of human milk
- binds with iron in the intestinal tract, making it unavailable to bacteria that require iron to survive.
lactogenesis
The initiation of milk secretion.
- Lactogenesis I is the initial synthesis of milk components that begins late in pregnancy
- Lactogenesis II is the onset of copious milk production 2 or 3 days postpartum.
lactose
- The major carbohydrate in human milk
- forms about 4% of colostrum and 7% of mature milk
- disaccharide
- metabolizes readily to glucose
- enhances calcium absorption.
myoepithelial cells
- Contractile cells
- surround the milk-secreting alveoli
- oxytocin causes these cells to contract, forcing milk into the ducts.
- A “letdown response” occurs when many cells contract at the same time.

nipple
- The pigmented projection at the tip of each breast
- lactiferous ducts open into about 15 to 20 pores through which milk flows.

oxytocin
- A lactogenic hormone produced in the posterior pituitary gland
- released during suckling, causing milk to be ejected and the uterus to contract.
progesterone
- hormone
- produced by the corpus luteum and placenta
- maintains pregnancy
- assists with mammary alveoli development.
prolactin
- hormone
- produced in the anterior pituitary
- stimulates development of the breast
- controls milk synthesis.
What is important for efficient milk removal?
A rapid first milk ejection
Research shows that a rapid first milk ejection will then lead to
more subsequent milk ejections.
When milk is not removed from the breast,
a protein called feedback inhibitor of lactation (FIL) is produced.
When the amount of Feedback Inhibitor of Lactation (FIL) increases
- a signal is sent to the hypothalamus to reduce prolactin
- milk production is reduced.
The majority of the glandular tissue is found
within 30 mm of the nipple
When does breast development begin
In the 4th week of embryonic life
What causes rapid development of breasts in puberty?
increasing levels of progesterone
Rapid growth in adolescence is characterized by
- Branching and lengthening of the ductal system
- increased development of connective tissue surrounding the ducts and alveoli
When does the major growth change occur?
12 to 24 months after the onset of the first menstrual period.












