Bumpy nipples explained: smell directs babies to milk

The aesthetics of the human female nipple can be a touchy subject; that’s all I’ll say on that. The fact remains, though, that the areola (the pigmented ring of skin surrounding the nipple) often has little raised bumps on it. These bumps are at times a source of self-consciousness for women, and the butt of jokes for comedians. However, new research on these areolar glands could potentially put all humility and humor aside. It turns out that these nipple nodules may serve a critical role in guiding babies to much-needed breast milk.

At times it seems there are no mistakes in biology….

The bumps on areolas are formally known as Montgomery’s glands, and they’ve long been known to increase in number during pregnancy and even secrete a liquid that’s been thought to keep the nipple lubricated against the friction of breastfeeding.  Now, scientists in France have discovered that compounds in these secretions stimulate newborn babies to breastfeed.

Just so we're all clear on what we're talking about here...

In a group of 121 breastfeeding women, most (96.7%) had areolar glands, with the average woman having about 10 of them per breast. So the authors divided these women up based on whether they had a higher or lower than average number of areolar glands, and assessed how long they took to start lactating after giving birth, as well as their babies’ birth weights and feeding habits in the first three days of life.

The simple conclusion is this: the more areolar glands, the better, for everyone. First-time mothers with a higher number of glands started lactating 10 hours earlier on average than mothers with scant glands. Babies of the more bumpy-breasted mothers ate more frequently and gained weight faster in their first three days. The smell of areolar gland secretions, even more so than the smell of breast milk itself, elicited head and mouth feeding movements (e.g. suckling and licking) in newborns.

So, basically…

Vast oversimplification of findings

This research is great because it teaches us something new about a body part and a process that are as old as mankind. Not only that, but if the compounds of interest in the areolar gland secretions can be isolated, they may be extremely helpful for mother-infant pairs with breastfeeding troubles.

So, ladies, be proud of your “nipple Braille”! Should you choose to become a mother, those lumps and bumps will most likely do a world of good in helping your baby answer one of life’s fundamental questions: “Got milk?”

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Doucet S, Soussignan R, Sagot P, & Schaal B (2011). An overlooked aspect of the human breast: Areolar glands in relation with breastfeeding pattern, neonatal weight gain, and the dynamics of lactation. Early human development PMID: 21852053

Doucet S, Soussignan R, Sagot P, & Schaal B (2009). The secretion of areolar (Montgomery’s) glands from lactating women elicits selective, unconditional responses in neonates. PloS one, 4 (10) PMID: 19851461