Mammary gland

Looks like

The milk-making gland inside the breast, a cone of lobes and ducts set in fat over the chest muscle; in females it grows at puberty, in males it stays a small remnant behind the nipple.

What it does

Produces milk after childbirth.

Keeping it well

It changes with the cycle, pregnancy and menopause, so lumpiness is normal. A new lump, skin dimpling, a turned-in nipple or bloody discharge needs assessment at any age and in either sex; in males, breast growth can come from medicines, liver disease or hormone changes.

Its parts

• Milk lobes

Related conditions

• Benign breast lumps (fibroadenoma, cysts)
• Breast cancer
• Gynaecomastia
• Hereditary cancer syndromes (BRCA, Lynch)
• High prolactin (hyperprolactinaemia)
• Male breast cancer
• Mastitis & breast abscess
• Premenstrual syndrome and PMDD