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Accessory breast
Classification and external resources
ICD-10	Q83.1
ICD-9	757.6
OMIM	163700
eMedicine	derm/735

Accessory breasts, also known as polymastia, supernumerary breasts, or mammae erraticae, is the condition of having an additional breast. Extra breasts may appear with or without nipples or areolae.

A related condition, in which extra nipples form, is called "supernumerary nipple" or "polythelia".

Contents 1 Causes 2 Presentation 3 Notable examples 4 Mythology 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Causes

Polymastia results from the eruption of extra breasts, usually along the milk line that extends from axillae to groin. While the location of this tissue is established during embryonic development, it may not become apparent or troublesome until puberty or lactation.^[1] In extremely rare cases, extra breasts may appear ectopically on the neck, face, upper arm, shoulder, back, buttock, hip,^[2] vulva, perineum,^[3] thigh,^[4] or even foot.^[5]

Polymastia is often associated with other anatomical variations.^[6]

[edit] Presentation

In some cases, the accessory breast may not be visible at the surface. In these cases, it may be possible to distinguish their appearance from normal breast tissue with MRI.^[7] In other cases, accessory breasts have been known to lactate, as illustrated in a woodcut showing a child nursing at ectopic breast tissue on the lateral thigh^[8].

There is some evidence that the condition may be more common in a Native American population.^[9]

[edit] Notable examples

Anne Boleyn, second wife to Henry VIII of England, and mother of Elizabeth I, may have had a third nipple or even a third breast.^[1][10] (This may well have been a slanderous rumour, as in Tudor times these "malformations" were considered to be a sign of the owner being a witch. The circumstances of her marriage to the king, who had divorced his first wife, made her a controversial figure.)

Thérèse Ventre of Marseille, France, had a functional extra breast on the outside of her left thigh.^[2] Her case was studied by French scientists in 1827.

[edit] Mythology

In mythology, attributes are exaggerated or multiplied to emphasize their efficacy. For example, Priapus has been depicted with an oversized penis, and Artemis of Ephesus has been portrayed as having tier upon tier of what may be breasts, as tradition has it, or sacrificed bull testes, as some newer scholars claim. Priapus' gigantic phallus underscores his virility and his fertility, while Artemis' tiers of breasts, if so they are, would highlight her ability to nurture.

In Hindu Mythology, the goddess Meenakshi of Madurai was born with three breasts. According to a prophesy, She would lose her third breast on meeting the man of her dreams, which happens to be Lord Sundareswara, an incarnation of Lord Shiva.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Photos
• Cases of suckling from extra breasts
• Old woodcut of extra breast in use

v • d • e Congenital malformations and deformations of the breast (Q83, 757.6) Breast Amastia · Polymastia · Micromastia Nipple Athelia · Polythelia breast navs: anat/physio, noncongen/congenital/neoplasia, proc