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Lets Talk Risk Factors. Yesterday's post provided general information about risk factors and things we can't change. Today's post is a continuation and includes reminders of things we can change.
Risk factors you can change
- Not being physically active: Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.
- Being overweight or having obesity after menopause: Older women who are overweight or have obesity have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a healthy weight.
- Taking hormone:. Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise risk for breast cancer when taken for more than 5 years. Certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.
- Reproductive history: Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can raise breast cancer risk.
- Drinking alcohol: Studies show that a woman's risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.
Research suggests that other factors such as smoking, being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, and changes in other hormones due to night shift working also may increase breast cancer risk.
Take charge of our lives and our bodies. Get rest, exercise, eat right, and refrain from putting detrimental food and drink into our bodies.
Read more about breast cancer risk factor at the CDC website.