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Lactiferous ducts: anatomy, location and function

Lactiferous ducts carry milk from the lobes to the nipple. They conduct milk; myoepithelial cells around them contract in response to oxytocin, producing milk ejection (let-down).

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Highlighted in the model: Lactiferous ducts. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. Use Male / Female to switch bodies. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science; knee ligaments, menisci, tonsils, palate and parotid glands from the Human Reference Atlas Visible Human Male model and female parts from its Visible Human Female model (HuBMAP / NIH); lung lobes built from the BodyParts3D chest; all CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The female body shares the male skeleton, muscles and organs except its pelvis, reproductive organs, breasts, bladder, urethra and skin.

Lactiferous ducts at a glance

What it is
Lactiferous ducts carry milk from the lobes to the nipple.
Location
One main duct drains each lobe; they converge beneath the areola and open on the nipple.
Function
They conduct milk; myoepithelial cells around them contract in response to oxytocin, producing milk ejection (let-down).
Body system
Reproductive · paired (left and right) · female body
FMA ID
FMA58006 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • There are about 15–20 main ducts, one per lobe, although fewer separate openings are often found on the nipple.
  • Just before the nipple each duct widens slightly into a lactiferous sinus.

Clinical relevance

A blood-stained discharge from a single duct is often caused by a small benign intraductal papilloma but needs investigation. Ductal carcinoma in situ is cancer confined to the ducts.

Structures next to the lactiferous ducts

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Lactiferous ducts (FMA58006). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §27.2 Anatomy and Physiology of the Ovarian Reproductive System (The Breasts). Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.
  4. Browne K., Schlehlein H. 3D Reference Organ Set for United, Female (Visible Human Female). Human Reference Atlas 3D Reference Object Library, HuBMAP / NIH. Data from the NLM Visible Human Project. CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.