Just as no specific cause exists for breast cancer, no guarantees exist for its prevention. The good news is that women can take precautions to reduce their risk of developing this disease while increasing their odds of survival through early detection.
Exercise
One way to help prevent breast cancer is to exercise four or more hours a week. This, according to the National Cancer Institute, may reduce hormone levels, which in turn lowers the risk of breast cancer. One of the hormones that decreases through exercise is estrogen, which enables breast cancer cells to grow and divide.
Decrease Estrogen Exposure
The National Cancer Institute explains that reducing the amount of time a woman's body is exposed to estrogen may help prevent breast cancer. This happens a number of ways, including pregnancy, especially if a woman becomes pregnant before the age of 20. Breastfeeding is another option, as it lowers a woman's estrogen levels. Finally, beginning menses from the age of 14 or older reduces the number of years a woman's breast tissue is exposed to estrogen.
Keep a Healthy Weight
When a woman is overweight or obese, she has a greater risk for developing breast cancer. This is because most of her estrogen is located in her fat tissue. The more fat tissue she has, the higher her estrogen levels, the American Cancer Society (ACS) explains.
To prevent breast cancer from developing, women who are at a healthy weight need to maintain this weight, while women who are overweight or obese need to speak to their doctors and devise a healthy eating plan to lose weight.
Perform a Self-Exam
Breast self-exams are especially important in early detection. Performing a self-exam enables you to locate any unusual lumps or changes in your breasts. Although this may not completely prevent breast cancer, detecting this disease early does allow for early treatment, thus increasing your survival rate.
Visit Your Doctor
Breast cancer-screening exams, such as mammograms, play a pivotal role in detecting breast cancer. The Mayo Clinic suggests talking to your doctor and asking him the best age to begin these screenings. Everyone's body and circumstances vary; therefore, every person's screening strategies may vary as well.
