As you age, your risk of getting breast cancer increases. For example, at age 20 your chance is 1 in 1837, while at age 40 it increases to 1 in 70, and at age 70 it increases to 1 in 26.
Here are some risk factors for developing breast cancer:
- being a woman
- aging
- family history of breast or ovarian cancer
- having first period before the age of 12
- starting menopause after the age of 55
- never giving birth
- having first child after age 30
- high bone density
- drinking more than 1 alcoholic beverage per day
- gaining weight as an adult
- being overweight after menopause
- using birth control pills currently or recently
- using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) currently or recently
Your best defense:
- Routine mammograms - all women over 40 should have a mamm0gram every year; women with a family history should talk to their physician about when and how often to have mammograms
- Clinical breast exams - women should have a clinical breast exam every 3 years fromages 20-39 and every year after 40
- Breast self-exam (BSE) - by age 20, all women should perform monthly breast self-exams a few days after the last day of their period
- Healthy lifestyle - eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and limit your intake of alcohol
Visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure at http://www.komen.org/ for more information.
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