As an anatomist, I’m often asked questions about nipples. What is the point of male nipples? Why are nipples considered an erogenous zone ? Why, other than a seven-figure salary, did George Clooney agree to wear a Batsuit with nipples for the 1997 film Batman and Robin? All pressing issues, I’m sure you’ll agree. Unlike those adorning Clooney’s Batsuit, nipples have important functions for breastfeeding mothers .
They contain multiple nerve endings that are sensitive to the stimulation of a suckling baby, which generates the release of the hormone oxytocin , prompting “let-down” of milk from the breast tissue . The nipple contains ducts through which milk is then released for feeding. The coloured area around the nipple – the areola – serves a purpose too.
It contains multiple glands which secrete protective substances onto the skin, most likely to protect the area from damage and chafing during breastfeeding. Suckling might not be the sole underlying trigger for milk release, however. Sometimes, even the sound of a baby crying stimulates the pituitary gland to release oxytocin in anticipation of a need to feed.
The pituitary also plays an important role in the growth of breast tissue during pregnancy and production of milk, which is controlled by the hormone prolactin . But you can have too much prolactin. Milky discharge from the nipple in non-breastfeeding patients could be caused by a prolactinoma – a benign tumour of the pituitary gland – which can le.
