Not very long ago in 1960 the odds of a woman getting breast cancer were far better: only 1 in 20. Over the decades, however, the unfortunate breast cancer fact is that the chances for a woman to get breast cancer have grown and grown. That is not a good thing. In the past twenty years the cause of breast cancer awareness and breast cancer advocacy has grown greatly and much has been done but there is still much work to do.
Despite this chilling breast cancer fact, it does not mean that you are going to be getting breast cancer. If you understand some of the facts of breast cancer there are things that can be done to help lessen your risk of breast cancer.
One surprising breast cancer fact is that while genetics can play a role in increasing your risk of breast cancer, it does not increase it greatly. If a relative of yours has had breast cancer it does increase your chances of getting it, studies have shown this is the case but most of the genetics at work here do not involve family-inherited traits.
A much bigger factor and one of the important facts of breast cancer to remember is that estrogen has a great deal to do with the causes of breast cancer. Having high levels of estrogen for long periods of time can increase your risk of breast cancer. Early puberty, having your first child past age 35, not having children at all or not breast feeding can all be factors that lead towards breast cancer. Oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy can be of help in fighting breast cancer.
Two areas where research has been mixed are in the areas of alcohol and smoking. Scientific studies do suggest a link between both too much alcohol and smoking in increasing the risk of breast cancer, but so far studies have not been conclusive. Both drinking too much and smoking definitely have other health risks involved that are much better documented so it is better to not smoke at all and to be moderate in your drinking anyway.
Once you have reached the age of 50, your chances of getting breast cancer also go up. This is a very important breast cancer fact. Once you hit 50 it is time to seriously keeping track of yourself and keeping yourself healthy. Cancer is caused by the mutation of cells and the older your cells are the higher risk there is that this mutation might occur.
Breast cancer is a serious area of concern for women today. The breast cancer fact that one in eight women in the United States will get breast cancer at some time in their lives is a big one. Over the past twenty years many great strides have been made in the fight against breast cancer but there is still a lot more work that has to be done. If you want to decrease your chances of getting breast cancer understanding the facts of breast cancer is one of the most important steps.