5 Easy Ways to Decrease Your Breast Cancer Risk

I remember the first time I was really conscious of my breasts. I was in sixth grade and was crossing the lunchroom in my Marithe Francois and Girbaud lime green shorts and a white tee with a matching lime green logo, when a group of boys asked me to come over. They explained that they were having a jumping contest and wanted to see if I wanted to join. After a couple of times of trying to jump my highest I realized exactly where they were looking. I turned beat red and walked away ashamed. That was the last day that I ever participated in a high jump—so much for my Olympic dreams.

I was naive to the prank because my breasts had no transition. I was flat chested one day and the next day I was a slim eleven-year-old girl rocking a full D cup. After the jumping incident, I spent the rest of my adolescence trying to conceal them. Around the end of college I somehow realized I should be proud of them, they were a big part of me (no pun intended), so I started walking a bit taller, and started appreciating instead of hating the attention that they received.

My previous self-consciousness surrounding my breasts is common. The grass is always greener; girls with big ones want them smaller and girls with small ones want them bigger. But no matter what size or shape; teeny, huge, pointy, round, high, low, nipples out, nipples in (yes, you are normal) they all really should be accepted, loved, and protected.

This coming month is breast cancer awareness month and therefore, here are some easy lifestyle changes that you can make to decrease your breast cancer risk.

 

1. No smoking: Let’s all face the facts. Smoking is the worst thing that you can do for your health and there is definitely a risk between smoking and breast cancer, especially in younger women that develop breast cancer. So kick the habit if you smoke and if you don’t smoke, definitely don’t start it.
2. Decrease your alcohol intake: Alcohol is linked to an increased risk of developing breast cancer. The risk increases with the amount of alcohol consumed. Compared with non-drinkers, women who consume 1 alcoholic drink a day have a very small increase in risk. Those who have 2 to 5 drinks daily have about 1½ times the risk of women who don’t drink alcohol.
3. Exercise: Evidence is growing that physical activity in the form of exercise reduces breast cancer risk. The main question is how much exercise is needed. In one study from the Women’s Health Initiative, as little as 1.25 to 2.5 hours per week of brisk walking reduced a woman’s risk by 18%. Walking 10 hours a week reduced the risk a little more. So get moving!
4. Maintaining a healthy weight: On the note of exercise, remember to also eat right and maintain a normal weight for your height. Obesity has been linked to an increase in breast cancer. So those extra ten pounds aren’t just about vanity losing them can help save your tattas!
5. Practice Breast Self-Awareness: The American College of OB GYN now recommends breast self-awareness in favor of breast self-exams. Breast self-awareness is defined as having a sense of what is normal for your breasts so that you can tell if there are any changes and report them to your doctor. I recommend my patients begin this in their teen years, start looking at their breasts and then feeling them in the shower to understand what is normal for them. Always watch for swelling, warmth, redness or darkening of your breasts, change in the size or shape of your breasts, dimpling or puckering of the skin, itchy, scaly sores, rash on the nipple, pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast, nipple discharge that starts suddenly, and new pain in one spot that doesn’t go away.

 

Overall, when it comes to breasts you can never be too careful! If you are concerned about anything, ask your physician. And always remember to be proud of the ones you got!