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

Boobtastic Media Storm

I'd like to say I'm surprised bit unfortunately I'm not. Today is the day that Facebooks double standards strike again. The Leaky Boob, a wonderful online breastfeeding support community has had its pages disabled. Apparently it is perfectly acceptable for a page to stay online that gratuitously celebrates leering at breasts, but a community of like minded women supporting one another is deemed obscene. What's going on? In many countries in the world now its illegal to move on a breastfeeding woman (UK, Indonesia, some US States to name a few) so why can't Facebook get with the program? Facebook listen to us! There is nothing obscene about breastfeeding! We show less boob than most clothes you'll see out and about on a club night in town. Its been amazing to see the wave of support come out, with literally 1000's of people signing up to temporary pages in support of The Leaky Boob and its still early days. Never underestimate the power of commun
Read more

Baby Led First Foods Update

I have been caught by surprise with the way my daughter has taken to eating. It has been totally different to the way the boys started food. All those purres and mashes. And she just picks up a bit of food and eats it. She carefully picks up what she wants and thoughtfully puts it to her mouth, looking at it and turning it round before gumming it into a soggy mess, probably getting around half of it down to her little tummy. She's now tried cucumbers, mashed potato (now THAT was messy...) courgette (squash), cheese - in sticks and in a sandwich, steamed carrot sticks, toast, banana, Apple and Pear slices and rice cakes. She enthusiastically ate them all. No pressure from us, I haven't PUT a single thing in her mouth. I'm relying on her instincts to guide her in her eating journey. Babies have excellent gag reflexes, so when something a bit too big broke off, her gag reflex brought it straight back out again before I even had time to react. I must say at this po
Read more

My Baby Breastfeeds Too Often

Your new baby never seems to stop feeding and people seem to be giving conflicting advice. Some say baby feeds so often because you don't have enough milk - baby is hungry so best to think about topping up... But consider this. What if, your baby was a human being with feelings, moods, preferences and social needs as well as physiological needs? Think for a moment about when you eat and drink. Is every time simply about nutritional value? No! We sit and eat together, we go out for coffees together. It's often a social part of our lives. Babies are social beings with social needs. Sometimes we just would like a chocolate bar... why? Just because. Take a piece of paper and give it a couple if headings; 'Time', 'food/drink consumed' and 'Duration'. Now think about a 24 hour period in a normal day according to you. Then note down every single thing that passes your lips, it may look a little like this. 6.45am - Coffee - 3 mins 8am - cereal and frui
Read more