brystenes

Brystene, or the breasts, are the paired mammary glands on the chest. Each breast is composed of glandular tissue arranged into lobes and lobules, ducts that converge at the nipple, fatty tissue, and connective tissue. The nipple sits at the center of the areola. The chest wall beneath the breast includes pectoral muscles but does not contain the milk-producing tissue.

Blood supply comes from internal thoracic and lateral thoracic arteries; veins drain to thoracic veins; innervation from intercostal nerves.

Function: in reproduction, breasts produce milk after hormonal changes in pregnancy; prolactin drives milk synthesis; oxytocin triggers milk let-down during suckling.

Development: puberty triggers breast growth under estrogen and progesterone; puberty also changes size and shape; pregnancy and lactation alter glandular tissue; after lactation, involution occurs if not breastfeeding.

Variation and health: breast size and shape vary widely; tissue composition affects appearance; men have undeveloped breast tissue; many benign conditions exist such as fibrocystic changes or mastitis; breast cancer is a common malignancy; risk factors include age, family history, and certain gene mutations. Screening guidelines rely on population and risk; imaging such as mammography is used for detection; self-exams are less emphasized in many guidelines.

Language: In Norwegian, brystene is the definite plural form of bryst, meaning breasts.