What Are Your Risks For Breast Cancer?

The fear of developing breast cancer hangs over women all over the world. And statistics can be scary because breast cancer among American women is the second leading cause of death from cancer -- coming just behind lung cancer.

Although finding out that you have breast cancer in the past would have been like receiving a death sentence, today things have changed. That's because of the outstanding advances in the medical treatment of breast cancer that have been developed recently. There are many more alternative treatments available now than were available 20 years ago.

Happily, more and more women have joined the category of breast cancer survivors.

There are many risk factors for developing breast cancer.  Some of these factors can be changed, but some cannot be changed.  The mere fact that you're a woman makes you more susceptible to this disease than if you were a man.  Aging is another factor that you can't change.  You can't change what family you were born into either and your inherent genetic traits.  If your mother died of breast cancer, your risks of developing the disease are greater.  If another close family member developed breast cancer, that's another risk factor for you.  In fact, your risks of developing breast cancer double if you have a close family member with breast cancer.  Another risk factor that you can't change is when you started having your menstrual periods.  For example, if you started menstruating before you were 12 years old or if menopause came later for you -- after 50 years old -- that's another risk.

Now there's a genetic test that can be performed to check if you carry the mutated gene that can increase your breast cancer risk.

If you're taking estrogens with progesterone for menopausal symptoms, your risk of developing breast cancer will be slightly increased.  Your risks will also be increased if you take birth control pills.  If you drink alcohol, your risks increase.  If you are overweight, your risks are increased as well.  If you don't exercise, your risks are increased too.  If you never breast-feed, this also increases your risk of developing breast cancer.

No one knows for sure who will developed breast cancer because even men can suffer with it.

Since there are risks you can do nothing about and other risks that you can do something about, it would be wise to do all you can to decrease the risks that you can do something about.  So be sure to take care of your health, exercise and lose excess weight.

If you are at risk in a special way because of your family history, be sure to have regular breast screenings and examine your breasts every month as well.  Those are two important actions you can take to protect yourself from breast cancer.