What Is Morphology? Common Examples

The breast is composed of three structures: skin, subcutaneous tissue, and breast tissue. The majority of the breast volume in the nonlactating state is composed of fat (adipose tissue) and fibrous connective tissue.

The skin over the breast is thinner than most other areas of your body. It contains hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and exocrine sweat glands. Sebaceous glands are the ones that are involved in secreting the milk.

The nipple is supplied with multiple sensory nerve endings and sebaceous and sweat glands but is devoid of hair follicles. The areola is the dark (pigmented) portion in the center of the breast. It is circular and ranges anywhere from 15 to 60 mm in diameter.

The breast undergoes tremendous changes in size, shape, and function as you cross various stages, which include puberty, pregnancy, lactation, and menopause. Moreover, it is the organ that is the most common site of cancer in women.

The breast can have abnormalities in its morphology, such as the following:

Congenital (present since birth)

• Polythelia: It is having an accessory or supernumerary nipple and is the most common congenital abnormality of breast development. This can be seen both in boys and girls.
• Polymastia: In rare cases, there may be accessory true mammary glands, most commonly in the axilla (polymastia). Polythelia not only can be of cosmetic concern but also may come with other abnormalities including:
  • An increased risk of genital and urinary tract abnormalities
  • Malignancies (cancer)
  • Defect in the vertebrae

Rare abnormalities of the breast may include the following:

• Hypoplasia (underdevelopment of the breast)
• Amastia (congenital absence of the breast)
• Amazia (absence of breast tissue but presence of a normal nipple-areolar structure)

Acquired (began at some point during one's lifetime)

Amazia can result when a sample of breast tissue is removed from a developing breast. It can also result from the use of radiation therapy in prepubertal girls.

If a traumatic injury occurs to the developing breast, it can deform the breast, resulting in abnormalities.

The uterus is a pear-shaped organ located in the female pelvis.

• It lies between the urinary bladder in the front (anteriorly) and the rectum behind (posteriorly).
• It measures approximately eight centimeters long, five centimeters across, and four centimeters thick, with an average volume between 80 and 200 mL.

The uterus is divided into three main parts:

• Fundus
• Body
• Cervix

The uterus is made up of the following:

• Endometrium: The endometrium is the inner layer of the uterus that responds to the hormonal changes in your body such as during menstruation and pregnancy.
• Myometrium: Myometrium is the middle layer that is composed of muscles and makes up most of the uterine volume.
• Perimetrium: It is also known as serosa and is the thin, outer layer of the uterus.

The uterus is a dynamic female reproductive organ that plays a major role in all the stages of a woman’s life including menses, pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

The uterus of a woman who has never been pregnant is smaller than that of a woman who has given one or more births. Additionally, after menopause, because the uterus is no longer active as it was before, it becomes smaller and atrophic.

Six abnormalities of the uterus include:

1. Uterine fibroids: Uterine fibroids, also known as leiomyomas or myomas, are harmless (benign) growths that arise from the myometrium of the uterus. These masses can extend to the endometrial cavity of the uterus or even to its outer layer.
2. Uterine polyps: Like fibroids, uterine polyps are benign growths. However, their origin is different. These occur on the inner surface of the uterus and are composed of overgrown endometrial tissue.
3. Adenomyosis: Adenomyosis is a benign condition in which the endometrial tissue penetrates the myometrial layer of the uterus.
4. Endometrial cancer: Endometrial cancer is a harmful tumor (malignancy) that originates from the endometrium.
5. Asherman syndrome: Asherman syndrome is the development of adhesion or scarring damage due to injury to the endometrium from surgical procedures or infection.
6. Uterine prolapse: When the uterus leaves its original location and drops down from the pelvic cavity, the condition is known as uterine prolapse. It is caused by the weakening of the muscles and ligaments that support the uterus.