Breast cancer is one of the deadliest diseases that worries women a lot. But treatments for breast cancer have been getting better. Keeping aside the treatments, the chances of breast cancer can be lowered by the following 8 steps.
1. Keep Weight In Check
Everyone is much concerned to maintain a healthy weight. Having abnormal weight can increase the risk of different cancers, including breast cancer, especially after menopause.
2. Be Physically Active
Women who do exercise for at least 30 minutes a day probably have a lower risk of breast cancer. In order to keep weight gain in check, regular exercise is one of the best ways.
3. Eat Your Fruits & Vegetables – and Avoid Too Much Alcohol
Having a healthy diet, veggies and keeping alcohol have a lower risk of breast cancer. Sometimes, lower levels of consumption of fruits and veggies can increase the risk of breast cancer in adults.
If you drink moderately, then there is no reason to stop. But, if you are an addicted drinker, you should probably quit.
4. Don’t Smoke
Everyone knows how unhealthy smoking is. Lowering or quitting smoking can surely lower the risks of breast cancer.
Apart from this, it also causes smelly breath, bad teeth, and wrinkles. Now, these things will be the motivation to stay smoke-free.
5. Breastfeed, If Possible
When women breastfeed for a total of one year or more (combined for all children), it might lower the risk of breast cancer. Breastfeeding also helps in improving the immunity of children.
6. Avoid Birth Control Pills
Birth control pills have both risks and benefits. Frequent consumption of birth control pills by women, increase the risk of breast cancer. This risk goes away quickly, though, after stopping the pill.
However, prolonged usage of birth control tools has important benefits, such as lowering the risk of ovarian cancer, colon cancer, etc. If at all you do not want to have breast cancer, avoiding birth control pills is one option to lower risk.
7. Avoid Post-Menopausal Hormones
Post-menopausal hormones shouldn’t be consumed for long term to prevent chronic diseases, such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
Hormones such as estrogen-only hormones and estrogen-plus-progestin hormones increase the risk of breast cancer. If women do take post-menopausal hormones, it should be for the shortest time possible.
8. Tamoxifen and Raloxifene for Women
Regular consumption of prescription drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene can significantly lower the risk of breast cancer in woman.
These drugs have been approved by the FDA for breast cancer prevention, but they can have side effects, so they aren’t right for everyone.
Find Out Your Family History
Breast cancer may be hereditary. If women any of their family members with breast cancer, they should take special care.
You may be at high risk of breast cancer if you have a mother or sister who developed breast or ovarian cancer or if you have multiple. You can comfortably learn about your family history of diseases from a doctor or genetic counselor.
Do the Screening
Breast cancer screening with mammography saves lives. Screening can be the best method in order to identify breast cancer at the earlier stage.
For most women, regular mammograms would be prescribed at age 40, but specific recommendations vary by age and risk.
If your age is in between 40 – 44:
You can choose to begin yearly mammograms. It is highly significant to consult a doctor about the risk and benefits of mammograms at these ages.
If your age is in between 45 – 54:
Mammograms are recommended every year.
If your age is 55 or above:
Mammograms are recommended every other year. You can choose to continue to have them every year.
A woman should be familiar with your breasts and tell a health care provider right away if you notice any changes in how your breasts look or feel.
Other Important Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
There are many other breast cancer-causing factors that women cannot do anything about. Knowing the appropriate cancer-causing agent, you can understand your risk better and do what you can to lower it. These can increase a woman’s breast cancer risk:
- Older age, especially 60 years or over
- Family history of breast cancer
- First menstrual period before age 12
- Menopause at age 55 or over
- First childbirth after age 35
- No children
- Tall height (5’8” or taller)
- Dense breasts
- History of benign breast disease.
