Are You at Risk?

While doing your yearly mammograms and monthly self-exams is a great start, there is still much more that you can do to protect yourself. Knowing your risk factors, and what you can do about them, will give you even more of an edge against breast cancer. Of course, nothing has been discovered yet to prevent breast cancer, but there are several things you can do to lower your risk.

Risks That You Can Control

• Use of Certain Drugs or Medications: Birth control pills, Hormone Replacement Therapy, and alcohol all increase the risk of developing breast cancer.
• Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding has shown to lower your risk of breast cancer.
• Being Overweight and Physical Inactivity: Both have shown an increased risk. Not only does maintaining a healthy weight and activity level lower your risk of cancer, they also lower your risk of developing a host of other diseases such as: High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol, and Heart Disease. You can find a wonderful site here detailing exactly why this affects your risk of breast cancer, and how you can lower your risk.
  

Risks That You Can't Control

• Gender
• Age
• Genetics
• Family History
• Race

Yes, there are many factors that you can't control, but there are also many that you can. Check out this link for the American Cancer Society for the complete list of risk factors, including what you can do to lower your risk of developing breast cancer.