Cooper bundle - what is it? Cooper bundles

The female breast is a complex organ, which has an important function. Here, milk is formed to feed the baby. In the past, it was a sweat gland, but when it evolved, it changed and began to produce milk.

In this article, we will consider what Cooper's bundle is.

Anatomy

Anatomy of the female breast can be represented as follows:

• Thoracic wall;
• Pectoralis muscle;
• Glandular tissue;
• Dairy share;
• Milky Way;
• Areola of nipples;
• Nipples;
• Adipose tissue;
• skin covering.

Age changes of the female breast

First, the breast develops the same in boys and girls.

But then there are changes. Breast in girls increases due to the fat layer, it forms lobules and milk ducts. Nipples stand out and become swollen. For several years the mammary glands grow, then become fully formed.

The greatest number of changes the breasts suffer during pregnancy. The glandular tissue increases, the alveoli and ducts also. The development of breast milk. Mammary glands markedly increase in size. During breastfeeding, the female breast continues to grow and becomes very large. By weight it is quite heavy, especially when it is filled with milk. Immediately, as soon as the child ate, it decreases a little, but then pours again. This process is very interesting. After the end of the period of feeding the child, their size becomes the same. The glandular tissue becomes smaller, it is replaced by fat.

During the menopause, the body of the breast disappears, it is completely replaced by fat and connective fibers.

Structure of the nipple and areola

The shape of the breast is a symmetrical hemisphere, which is attached to the pectoral muscle at about 2 and 6 ribs. The breast is divided into four quadrants, the upper two and the same lower. If through the nipple to draw lines vertically and horizontally, then just four equal in size regions are formed. This is used when examining the breast.

In the central part of the female breast there is a nipple and areola. Thoracic nipple can be considered a small protrusion of tissue with apertures. Nipple tissue is pigmented. From the holes the baby sucks in breast milk. In a woman who does not yet have a baby, the nipple looks like a cone, its color is pinkish. After birth, the nipple resembles a cylinder in shape, its color darkens, becomes brown. There are flat nipples, which can be very uncomfortable during breastfeeding. But with the efforts of the baby, the nipple can stretch out.

Areola is called the tender skin around the nipples. Usually it is pink or brown, it depends on the pigment. Areola is covered with fine wrinkles. These are the Montgomery hillocks. The sebaceous glands in the areola are of a certain type, and the Montgomery hillocks serve as protection against drying out. After all, they have a secret. Areoles and nipples are not necessarily located symmetrically about the center and each other. This is not a deviation from the norm.

What the chest consists of

Basically, a glandular component is present in the woman's breast. It consists of shares of small size. There are about twenty of them in every breast. They have a conical shape, they are located apex towards the nipple. The share consists of alveoli, that is, small lobules. They produce breast milk. Between the alveoli are Cooper ligaments, through which the breast is attached to the skin, connective tissue and fat.

From the dairy share there are milk ducts. They lead to the nipple. If you carefully touch your chest, you can feel it. They resemble tubercles and ligaments.

The structure of the female breast is unique. It can be compared with a vine and clusters. Outside it covers the skin, under it there is a layer of fat.

What is a Cooper bunch

These ligaments are of great importance. The name was given in honor of Astley Cooper, who was an English scientist. These are thin fibers that pass through the chest and connect the deep layers of tissues. Thanks to the Cooper ligaments, the shape and elasticity of the bust is maintained. Bunions Cooper of the breast are under great stress, especially if the breast is large and with a lot of fat. With age, they become weak, and the breasts sag. Its form is lost. To avoid this, you need to use a good corrective linen, especially when playing sports. The bra must perform a supporting function. Restoration after stretching ligaments are not liable.

Cooper's bunch consists of connective tissue. You can determine the presence of a tumor by its condition. If the tumor is present, the ligaments become compacted. The skin over the tumor becomes entangled. If there is a suspicion of an oncological process in the mammary gland, it is said that there are signs of wrinkling or umbiliculation. This is of great importance in the diagnosis of cancer. Cooper bundles are very dangerous.

The main causes of breast cancer

1. Genetic factor. If one of the relatives had breast cancer, this significantly increases the risk of developing the same type of cancer in a woman.

2. Hormonal changes in the body. Often this happens with the onset of menopause, when progesterone and estrogen are produced in less quantity. But pregnancy and lactation, on the contrary, normalize the hormonal background, so the risk of cancer decreases.

3. A large number of abortions. At abortions the female organism experiences strong hormonal stress, for this reason can be formed cancer cells.

4. Poor ecology, malnutrition, bad habits contribute to the development of oncology.

5. Inflammatory processes in the mammary gland, for example, mastitis.

6. Frequent irradiation of the chest.

7. In case of excess weight can also develop cancer. Adipose tissue can provoke excessive production of hormones, which can lead to cancer.

All women are recommended to undergo regular breast examinations from a mammologist or a gynecologist. But you can also make diagnostics yourself at home. If you have any doubts about any seals in your chest, you should immediately contact your doctor.

Many women, unfortunately, do not conduct any diagnostics and consult a doctor when the stage of the disease is already too heavy. But successful treatment depends on how timely it is started. Therefore it is necessary to visit a gynecologist or mammologist regularly.

Fibrosis of Cooper ligament

Often there are fibrotic changes in the mammary gland. They are dense, clearly contoured, shady shadows on a mammogram, localized in separate areas or spread throughout the gland. The glandular triangle has an indistinct contour due to the fibroticisation of the Cooper ligaments. The formations are located near the lobules and along the dairy ducts.

In addition, cystic changes in the mammary gland can predominate. On the mammogram, this is displayed by the deformation of the pattern, rounded, oval, the shadows merging with each other are present on it.
This shows that Cooper ligaments are thickened.

Mammography with mastopathy

Hyperplasia of the glandular component (adenosis) is easy to determine with mammography. It is a set of irregular irregularly shaped small-focal shadows merging with each other, with uneven, fuzzy contours. This is a kind of variegated zone with an uneven density. Shadows are grouped in outer quadrants, and can be scattered throughout the gland.

It happens when Cooper's ligaments are compacted. What is it, we considered above. They can merge, become like a solid compaction of the entire gland. The triangle is wavy, polycyclic. The site, where there is hyperplasia, resembles a lace pattern.

Changes can be of a mixed nature. Then a chaotic mosaic pattern with a pronounced density may appear. There are indistinct outlined focal seals. Cooper bundle in this case is also condensed.

How to take care of your breasts

It is very important to choose the right bra. Its size should fit perfectly. The fabric should be natural. The correct underwear will fix the breast, which will keep its shape. It will not be subject to injury and hypothermia.

But in a bra there should not be too much foam rubber, otherwise the breast can overheat. It's bad for her.

Breast cream should not contain hormones. It should be of good quality.

Conclusion

Once every six months, they recommend visiting a mammologist. And from a young age. If there are tumors or changes in the appearance of the breast and nipples, then you should immediately call your doctor.

We examined in detail the structure of the female breast, as well as the possible densification in it. What is the fibrosis of Cooper ligaments is also described.