Do you fear breast cancer? Many women do because it is such a killer! Surprisingly, men are not immune to this disease either.
If you received a diagnosis of breast cancer just 20 years ago, your chances of being a survivor would have been much less than they are today. That's because of the marvelous advance of medical research.
There are a lot more options available now for treating malignant tumors than were available a few years ago. And more and more women are breast cancer survivors today.
But you would like to know what your particular risks are for developing breast cancer, wouldn't you? Although no one knows exactly who is going to get breast cancer, there are risk factors that can be taken into consideration. You can do something about some of these risk factors, and other risk factors there's not much you can do about. -- except to be on your guard.
Here are the risk factors you can control:
1. Obesity
2. Drinking alcoholic beverages
3. Smoking
4. Taking estrogen with progesterone for menopausal symptoms
5. Using birth control pills
6. Lack of exercise
7. Choosing to feed your baby with a bottle instead of breast-feeding.
The following are risk factors over which you have no control:
1. Aging
2. Breast cancer in your immediate family
3. Starting your periods before the age of 12
4. Passing through menopause after the age of 50
So as you can see, there are risks you can do something about and risks that you can't do anything about. So why not start with what you can do? For example, choose to eat healthy foods instead of junk food. Stay away from alcoholic beverages and smoking. Exercise regularly.
For the risks you can do nothing about, you can use preventative measures. If your mother or and or another close relative had breast cancer, try to remember to schedule a yearly mammogram. And have a doctor examine your breasts once a year. Learn how to do breast exams once a month yourself and be faithful about checking your breasts on a regular basis.
To even more accurately assess your personal risk for developing breast cancer, you can take a test that will let you know if you carry a mutated gene related to breast cancer.
Why not choose to reduce your risk factors by doing all you can to protect yourself from this deadly disease?
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/286282
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