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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
Each of your breasts contains 15 to 20 lobes of glandular tissue, arranged like the petals of a daisy. The lobes are further divided into smaller lobules that produce milk during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Small ducts conduct the milk to a reservoir that lies just beneath your nipple. Supporting this network is a deeper layer of connective tissue called stroma. Fibroadenomas are made up of both glandular (lobular) tissue and connective (stromal) tissue.
The cause of fibroadenomas is unknown. However, fibroadenoma development is probably related to reproductive hormones. Fibroadenomas occur in greater frequency during your reproductive years, can increase in size during pregnancy or with estrogen therapy, and tend to shrink after menopause.
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- Sabel MS. Overview of benign breast disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- National Cancer Institute. Understanding Breast Changes: A Health Guide For Women. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/understanding-breast-changes. Accessed May 18, 20009.
- Fletcher SW et al. Primary care evaluation of breast lumps in adult women, http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 18, 2009.
- Courtillot C, et al. Benign breast diseases. J Mammary Gland Biol Neoplasia. 2005; 10:325-335.
- Harris JR et al. Diseases of the breast. Philadelphia, Pa.:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2004, p. 45-47.
