What I wish I had known about breast cancer
I’d like to talk about breast cancer prevention.
It's common knowledge that healthy habits like:
staying physically active
maintaining a healthy weight
limiting alcohol consumption
avoiding smoking
all reduce the risk of not only breast cancer but also heart disease, the #1 cause of death in women. You've also probably heard that family history of breast cancer increases your risk.
But do you know that:
85% of cases occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer
80% of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor (ER) positive, meaning they grow in response to estrogen.
Estrogen dominance is linked to ER positive breast cancer.
Xenoestrogens, chemicals found in many man-made products that affect our normal hormone function, are a risk factor.
These are all things I wish I had understood better long before I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. My whole adult life I thought I was fit and healthy. No one in my family ever had breast cancer. But looking back, there were signs that my body and hormones were out of balance, like my history of heavy periods and infertility. Now I wonder if I might have avoided breast cancer had I addressed those health issues earlier and not exposed myself to harmful chemicals all my life. The truth is that I’ll never really know.
What I do know is that women like you and me deserve to be better informed about their bodies so they can make smarter fitness, health and lifestyle choices. That’s why my mission is to educate, empower and inspire you to become your own self-care advocate so you can survive & thrive in every stage of life.
I hope you find this information helpful and inspiring. If you'd like to learn more about preventing breast cancer visit Breast Cancer Prevention Partners.
