An image of a woman's 'milk ducts' has gone viral, but it's actually an inaccurate depiction

• An anatomical rendering of the female muscle system went viral on Twitter.
• The depiction of breast milk ducts especially shocked people.
• But milk ducts actually don't look like the image suggests, and are much less uniform in appearance, according to lactation consultant Leigh Anne O'Connor, a certified lactation consultant.
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When a rendering of the supposed "female muscle system" went viral on Twitter last week, the internet couldn't stop discussing how unexpectedly interesting breast milk ducts looked.

The image showed a flower-like system of full and symmetrical ducts that connected on top of each chest muscle.

"This is NOT what I imagined milk ducts to look like," one person wrote on Twitter.

"If anyone needed further proof that women are magic, here. Also cannot get over the fact that this is the first time I've seen a woman's muscle system," another wrote.

 

 

 

Despite the popularity of the image, few people seemed to realize the rendering actually offers an inaccurate depiction of milk ducts.

The viral image doesn't accurately depict milk ducts

The rendering was likely created with aesthetics in mind. In reality, milk ducts don't look so uniform or symmetrical, according to Leigh Anne O'Connor, an international board certified lactation consultant.

Read more: 12 of the biggest questions about postpartum care, answered

"It may be [the case] for one person somewhere, but for the most part, it's not realistic," O'Connor told INSIDER. She said women have uniquely sized and shaped milk ducts, and some happen to have more than others. The size of a person's breasts doesn't directly affect the size and number of milk ducts they have; a person with large breasts may have fewer milk ducts than a person with small breasts.

O'Connor also noted that milk ducts aren't all full or empty at the same time. "Taking the milk out creates more milk and some people fill up quicker than others," she said. "You have to take each case individually."

Although the viral image gets the general idea of milk ducts correct in terms of placement and appearance, it's important to remember everyone's body is slightly different, even on the inside.

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