Biology · Human Reproduction · NEET
The NCERT order is: alveoli, then mammary tubules, then mammary duct, then mammary ampulla, then lactiferous duct, and finally the nipple. NEET often reverses two of these to make a wrong option, so learn the exact sequence. Alveoli come first (they make milk) and the nipple is last (milk comes out here).
They are two different tubes in the milk pathway. The mammary duct is formed when tubules of one lobe join together. Several mammary ducts then join to form the wider mammary ampulla, and the ampulla connects to the lactiferous duct, which opens at the nipple. So the mammary duct comes before the ampulla, and the lactiferous duct comes after the ampulla, right before the nipple.
Each breast has 15 to 20 mammary lobes. This is a common one-mark NEET fact, so remember 15-20. Each lobe holds clusters of cells called alveoli. Do not confuse this with any other number in reproduction.
According to NCERT, milk is stored in the cavities (lumens) of the alveoli. The cells of the alveoli both secrete milk and store it in these lumens. The ampulla is only a wider part of the duct system that the milk passes through, not the main storage sac. So the correct answer for storage is the alveoli.
No. They only share the name 'ampulla', which means a widened part. The mammary ampulla is in the breast and carries milk toward the lactiferous duct. The ampulla of the oviduct (fallopian tube) is where fertilisation happens. NEET may mix these up, so keep them separate: one is for milk, the other is for fertilisation.
Try the real previous-year questions from this chapter — each with the answer and a full solution.
The cells of the alveoli secrete milk. The milk is then stored in the cavities (lumens) of the alveoli before it moves through the duct system to the nipple.
Yes. NCERT states that a functional mammary gland is a characteristic of all female mammals. It is what defines the class Mammalia along with hair.
It contains a variable amount of fat along with the glandular tissue. This is why breast size can differ, but the amount of glandular tissue that makes milk is fairly similar.
Progesterone acts on the mammary glands and stimulates the formation of alveoli, the sac-like structures that store milk. Estrogen supports overall mammary gland development.
Mammary tubules come first. The alveoli open into mammary tubules, and the tubules of each lobe join together to form the mammary duct.
