More On Breast Cancer Causes!

The precise causes of breast cancer are still unclear, but there are certain risk factors that you should know about.

Among those, the most significant causes are family history and advancing age.

Risk increases for women who have had benign breast lumps and increases for women who have previously had cancer of breast or ovaries.

Hormones play a great role in breast cancer development. There are risk factors that you can not change along with some health issues and also some lifestyle adjustments.

Lifestyle factors that cause breast cancer:

1. Usage of birth control pills: Usage of birth control pills increases the chance of getting breast cancer when compared to women who don’t use them. So, it is recommended to talk with your doctor about the benefits and risks of birth control pills.

2. Not having children or having children much later in life: Not having the children or having the first baby after the age of 30 years puts you at high risk for breast cancer. Having more than one child and at an early age reduces the risk of breast cancer.

3. Not breastfeeding: Some studies showed that breastfeeding for 1 ½ to 2 yeas can lower breast cancer risk because breastfeeding decreases a woman’s total number of menstrual cycles.

4. Postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT): Also known as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), using this therapy for long-term to relieve menopause symptoms keeps you at greater risk of breast cancer. HRT is of two types, in which estrogen alone therapy increases breast cancer risk. To lessen this risk, your doctor prescribes progesterone also.

5. Obesity: It is linked with high risk of breast cancer. Risk is higher if fat storages are mainly in the waist area.

6. Alcohol: Consuming alcohol increases breast cancer risk. Having 2-5 drinks of alcohol a day keeps you at 1 ½ times higher risk when compared to women who don’t drink.

7. Lack of physical activity: Studies showed that exercise can greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer. Brisk walking for at least 2 ½ hours a week reduces your risk by 18%.

Risk factors that you can not change:

8. Gender: Being a woman is the main risk factor for breast cancer. Men can also have the chance to develop, but it is 100 times most common in women when compared to men.

9. Genetic factors: 5-10% of breast cancers are due to genetic changes in genes. BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene changes are most commonly observed in breast cancer patients.

10. Age: As you age, the chance of getting breast cancer increases. About 2 out of 3 women with breast cancer are above 55 years of age.

11. Race: Women with white complexion are at higher risk of breast cancer when compared to African-American women. But, death rate from breast cancer is high in African-American women. In their bodies, tumor growth is faster when compared to other women.

12. Family history: Women with a family history of breast cancer are at higher risk.

13. Your own history of breast cancer: Women who have cancer in one breast have greater chances of getting new cancer in another breast or in other tissues of same breast.

14 Thick breast tissues: Women with thick breast tissues i.e. more glandular tissues and less fatty tissues are at high risk of breast cancer. Also, doctors can not recognize the problem with mammograms in women with this kind of breast tissues.

15. Undergoing breast radiation previously: Women who have undergone radiation treatment to the chest region are at greater risk of breast cancer.

16. Menstrual problems: Having first menstrual periods early before the age of 12 years or entering into the menopause stage late after the age of 55 years can keep you at high risk for breast cancer. Women with these conditions can have more menstrual periods thus resulting in high levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones.

17. Usage of DES drugs: Women during their pregnancy use DES drugs to lower the chances of miscarriage. Studies showed that these women are at high risk for breast cancer than normal women.