Breasts are a secondary sex characteristic traditionally associated with women, being female, and femininity.
Transfeminine people typically have the desire to obtain or grow breasts to achieve gender euphoria. Temporary breasts known as breast forms can be worn on one's person. Estrogen treatment can be used to help one grow her own breasts. Some adult trans women (and some nonbinary people) undergo top surgery to obtain breasts.
Transmasculine people typically have the desire to hide or remove their breasts due to gender dysphoria. This can be done temporarily via binding with either a binder or using trans tape. Many transgender men (and some nonbinary people) undergo top surgery to have their breasts removed. Some transmasculine people are lucky enough to avoid the need for any of these treatments via having access to puberty blockers at a young age.
This page is primarily a "general reference" type page. As breasts are generally generally considered a gendered aspect of the human body, there are a lot of topics that end up referencing their existence. Many of the other pages will hyperlink to this page for an anatomy refresher. This page is not intended to be sexual in nature.
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Breasts have two primary purposes; bringing sexual pleasure to the person attatched to them, and feeding infants. Breasts typically come as a pair; though some are born with one missing, or have to have one (or both) amputated due to breast cancer. It is not uncommon for breasts to be asymmetrical (aka. when one is slightly bigger than the other).
Breasts are present on the upper front torso of both men and women though they typically remain underdeveloped in males, unless that "male" happens to actually be a transgender woman who chooses to undergo hormone therapy, or perhaps undergo breast augmentation to to develop her chest into proper breasts).
Some transgender men prefer to simply refer to their "breasts" as their "chests" and use "chestfeeding" in place of "breastfeeding" when feeding their own infants (though some seahorse dads simply formula feed instead). As with all gender-related terminology, what someone uses to refer to themself is all highly personal.
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The various physical aspects of breasts arranged in alphabetical order.
Breasts contain no muscles (though the base of each breast lies on the pectoral fascia, the muscle which covers the ribs). The structures which make up the breast are nearly all contained within fatty tissue.
As breasts are entirely fat, the effect of "fat redistribution" caused by taking estrogen is what results in a transgender woman growing a pair.
Note that when a transgender man taking testosterone undergoes "fat redistribution," it can sometimes cause some shrinkage of the breasts, though it will rarely make them disappear (unless the man previously had extremely small breasts to start off with).
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The areolae are the circular areas of darker-colored skin surrounding the nipples. They possess glands (known as Montgomery's glands) which secrete a lubricating oil that protects the nipple and skin from chafing during breastfeeding/chestfeeding.
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The supporting structure which surrounds the mammary glands.
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Mammary glands are modified sweat ducts that can produce milk. Every breast has 15-20 lobes made up of smaller structures called lobules which end in dozens of tiny bulbs (these are what can produce milk). All of these lobes, lobules, and bulbs are linked by thin tubes known as ducts (each duct individually referred to as a lactiferous duct). These ducts lead to the center of the nipple.
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Located at the center of the breast and surrounded by the areola, the nipple is a cylindrical projection through which milk is delivered during breastfeeding. Nipples contain multiple openings known as "lactiferous duct" openings. Nipples are more pigmented (aka. darker in color) than the surrounding breast tissue.
The nipple is comprised of smooth muscle fibers which allow it to become erect in response to stimulation such as cold, pain, touch, or during breastfeeding/chestfeeding. Nipples are highly sensitive due to their rich supply of nerve endings. The high sensitivity of a nipple is designed to respond to an infant suckling. Nipples grow in size from increased blood flow in response to pregnancy.
The exact size and location of the nipple varies from person to person. In those who are born with a testosterone dominated body, the nipple is present but underdeveloped due to a lack of hormonal stimulation. Taking estrogen will develop a pair of nipples, causing them to increase in size and prosper.
Click here to return to [D] section [Double Incision] page [About The Nipples] subheading.
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This is when someone has more than two nipples.
Click to jump to external resources regarding polythelia.
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This is when someone has one nipple or no nipples.
Click to jump to external resources regarding athelia.
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This is the layer of loose connective tissue between the pectoral fascia and the breast. This "potential space" is what is utilized for inserting breast implants.
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A bra is an undergarment that is worn for the purpose of securing, enhancing, and embracing a set of breasts. Bras come in various shapes and sizes.
A bra size is primarily determined using two measurements. The first measurement is band size, a tight measurement taken directly below the breasts. The second measurement is cup size, a relaxed measurement taken around the bulk of the breasts themselves. In the example breast size 32B - the "32" indicates that the band size is 32 inches, while the "B" indicates a medium sized breast. Some people take additional measurements in an effort to obtain a better fitting bra, but these are the standard measurements.
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Note that bras can have aspects of more than one style of bra as listed above.
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This is when someone is missing all or most breast tissue on one or both sides.
Click here to jump to external resources regarding amastia.
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Gynecomastia is when someone who was AMAB develops breasts. This can happen either naturally due to an intersex variation, or from taking certain medications. Intersex variations that are associated with gynecomastia include aromatase excess syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, XXYY Syndrome, and klinefelter syndrome.
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Also known as "accessory breasts," This is when an individual has more than two breasts.
Click here to jump to external resources regarding polymastia.
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See also the pages for; penis, pregnancy, and vulva.
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