Breastfeeding and the C word

There was a worrying press article today about the rise in cases of breast cancer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12356489

The phrase 'breast cancer' is enough to send any woman into a freefall of anxiety whether or not she has risk factors for the disease. The risk factors are...

*smoking
*oral contraceptives
*drinking alcohol every day
*obesity
*family history

Of course the indiscriminate nature of cancer means that women with no apparent risk factors may develop it and a boatload of risk factors might never. The report says a startling 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. That seems high to me.

The question I immediately asked of Google was how can I protect myself? What preventative measures can I take if any?

One was thankfully in my doorstep. Breastfeeding can actually reduce the chance of breast cancer by up to 50%, which is almost unbelievable. You do need to breastfeed for 2 years to get the full 50%. Check out this site for the stats if you like. http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_breast_cancer.html

The article goes on to say that the evidence shows that even breastfeeding for 2 days can have a significant impact on a persons risk of breast cancer.

The risk of ovarian cancer is also reduced by breastfeeding. Clever stuff huh?

Reading those articles this evening got me thinking. If more women were aware of these specific benefits, would more women try to breastfeed? Would they carry on longer? Or even initiate it. Knowing that breastfeeding is protective, wouldn't it be worth the extra effort?

I read somewhere recently that an estimated 3 in 4 women in the UK are UNAWARE of this information. That is massive. Considering the potential for protection, if all women knew this, would there be less incidences of breast cancer?

For an excellent webpage about reasons why women might find it in their best interests to give it a go, visit here.
http://www.notmilk.com/101.html

I'm not formula bashing here or anything like that, but in order to make informed choices we need to know what the possible consequences are. Sugar coating and avoiding the issue doesn't help, nor ignoring the situation. Read up, get educated and protect yourself the beat you can.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

Comments

  1. KerrieLynn, The Mix Gal7 February 2011 at 23:21

    Hi, I am a new follower…I found you through SocialMoms.com, if you get a chance I would love to have you check out my blog. Thank you.
    ~KerrieLynn
    KLsCupboard.blogspot

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown14 March 2011 at 05:41

    Wonderful post! I've been breastfeeding my ladies almost nonstop for 3 Year's. Looks like it benefits me as much as them :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I positively welcome messages and comments however please note this is a personal blog and abuse will be deleted. That said, there's always room for lively debate so make yourself at home.

Popular posts from this blog

Getting my Midwifery Hygge On

Image
(November 2016b) Recently I was introduced to the concept of ‘Hygge’, or rather I was recently introduced to the word to describe a principle I realise I already aim to live by. On reflecting on the topic further I made the connection also to my midwifery practice – I often receive feedback from women that I help them to feel ‘safe’ and for me safety in my personal life is wrapped up in the safeguards of my close-knit family life and community of friends. Hygge is a Danish word and is virtually impossible to pronounce in English but you will recognise the feeling of cosiness, intimacy, woolly socks and hot chocolate around an open-fire-ness even if you haven’t been to Denmark, apparently the happiest country in the world. It occurred to me that Hygge and Midwifery were a duo demanding a little extra attention. Photo credit: http://www.chatelaine.com/living/hygge-danish-concept-could-make-winter-more-bearable/   After a busy couple of shifts, I am simultaneously...
Read more

An update of sorts

Well it really has been a while since I last blogged here. A couple of reasons really... Twitter being a bit of a culprit but hey ho. You can find me on there by the way if you like. I have imaginatively called myself @michelletant LOL The other reasons include my all consuming midwifery course. I kid you not, it has the potential to completely take over your life. Plus of course my family. So I am here today for an update of sorts. You may have read my post about my son with (amoung other things) sensory processing disorder ( http://michelletant.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/supermarket-meltdowns.html  ) and we have been going through the statementing process with him. What that means it that we applied for a 'Statement of Additional Needs'. You have to apply through the county and it has to sort of be done on your behalf by the agencies involved with the child. So in our case it was the Speech and Language Therapist, the Occupational Therapist, the Educational Pyschologiest, t...
Read more

Supermarket Meltdowns

My 4 year old son starts school in September and of course in any family this is big news. My baby boy is growing up, leaving nursery and joining big school with his big brother and his baby sister is taking his place at nursery. Part of the normal cycle of family life. For us though, this has been anything but normal. When I think back to when number one son started school, my feelings couldn't have been more different. I was confident about his ability to fit in, to progress, to get the most out of school. I took it absolutely for granted that this next step in his life would go smoothly, that after a couple of (expected) tears at the classroom door, that he would be flying. And he has... he is happy, popular, well behaved, progressing academically and apparently a pleasure to have in the class. My second son is a sociable, beautiful character with a delightful sense of humour. He has brilliant rythym and loves music. He is a speed demon on his scooter and he will bounce happ...
Read more