Milk ducts: Image of female breast anatomy goes viral
- Published

Milk Ducts? What are they? Why do they look like that? Do I really have them? I don't want breasts anymore.
That was the reaction on Twitter after one user shared an image of the flower-like muscles.
The milk-making glands are divided into segments and the narrow tubes - or ducts - carry the milk from each segment to the nipple.
But for some that's apparently not common knowledge - which is why many people online seemed to find the picture hard to swallow.
I just realized I never saw a photo of a female muscle system. This is NOT what I imagined milk ducts to look like. pic.twitter.com/GBK6trgXF8
— Artist formerly known as Byeonce (@lemonadead) April 21, 2019
The image went viral in a matter of days and has more than 130,000 likes and counting.
It's described by the poster on Twitter as a photo but is actually only a figurative illustration from an iPad app called Anatomy & Physiology.
The image shocked some - with a few even saying they felt "creeped out".
No I really didn't need to see this, hmmm the trauma!
— Ms_MashP (@MsMashP) April 22, 2019
I DONT WANT BREASTS ANYMORE
— FARMING EQUIPMENT UPDATES (@chicknclit) April 23, 2019
At first I thought someone put flowers over boobs because art. Now, it looks like a weird alien creature lives inside my body and I'm terrified.
— Amandala What You Must 🤷🏾♀️* (@PearlPillay) April 22, 2019
However, it was the act of breastfeeding that broke the ice. Some people managed to see the natural beauty within the flower-like ducts.
Perhaps not surprising, considering a sizeable proportion of the people tweeting may have been breastfed themselves.
It’s beautiful to me- I breastfed my kids and wow! Those things nourished my babies.
— YourFavBlackAuntie (@greendoondoon) April 22, 2019
The glands start producing milk after a mother gives birth.
I mean, I’m LITERALLY reading these as I nurse my baby at 3am. I think that picture is soooo cool! I’ve always wondered what they look like!! Honestly never gave it any thought that what we see in school is really the man’s
— Nazanin R. Floyd (@NazRad11) April 25, 2019
Some people took the time to question why they had never seen the biological diagram before and had only seen male anatomy pictures in text books and classrooms.
But others saw the funny side to it.
it looks like those water balloons where all you have to do it attach the hose then 100 water balloons fill up.
— lol no (@notthateasysis) April 22, 2019
THESE THINGS HAHAHAH pic.twitter.com/ehDfR3tZFh
— lol no (@notthateasysis) April 22, 2019
- 6 June 2018