10/23/2024
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Do you want to know one of the biggest ways you can reduce your risk of breast cancer and other reproductive cancers? BREASTFEED! When a woman is pregnant/breastfeeding, estrogen is suppressed. The longer that you breastfeed and go without a period, the greater the protective benefits are. The reason for this is because it cumulatively reduces your overall lifetime exposure to estrogen, which is what feeds many reproductive cancers. Most providers have women fill out a survey to determine their Tyrer-Cuzick score, which is currently the "best" screening tool providers have, and it looks at these factors:
*Age
*Height and weight
*Breast density
*History and results of breast biopsies
*Personal history of breast or ovarian cancer
*Family history of breast or ovarian cancer
*History of hormone use
*Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, if applicable
*Age when they had their first menstrual period
*Age when they first gave birth, if applicable
*Age at menopause, if applicable
*Age of cancer diagnosis, if applicable
MY question is, why is # of months breastfeeding not included on this list!?!?!? The age you get your period as well as when you start menopause are factored in because starting a period early and going through menopause late both increase your cancer risk due to *more years of exposure to higher estrogen levels.* You can't control many of these factors listed, but you CAN choose to breastfeed, especially if you are at high risk.
Also, this is your PSA to go get that mammogram if you are over the age of 40, or have other risk factors/doctor recommendations to go sooner based on personal circumstances.
And most importantly- nothing replaces monthly self breast exams! Nobody knows your body better than you, and I can guarantee you that your GYN doesn't remember what your breasts felt like from last year's exam, so make self-checking a regular habit :)
