Does breast cancer occur in women that do EXBF?

[karika]

I have a scientific mind and have long believed that breast cancer occurs so prevalently because women are not using their breasts for the intended purpose. I realize this is not scientific, but this is the only place I know of where women that do extended breastfeeding congregate. So please take part in my informal poll.

[syd'smom]

I have no idea where to search, but I did see a piece on our national news about a study which showed a huge range of health benefits to mothers who nurse, including much better breast cancer stats. The numbers the piece mentioned showed a benefit to mothers who nursed at least 6mos and that those "good numbers" doubled if you bf'ed 2yrs plus.

[lily7]

I read a post by a midwife once that actually the first 2 years after having a baby and breastfeeding there is an increased risk of breast cancer occuring, after 2 years of BF chances of getting it go down.

[JessicaS]

Breastfeeding only reduces *your* individual risks of cancer. It is not 100%.


http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/n...st-cancer-risk

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=9656285

Breast feeding and pregnancy reduce the number of periods which reduce exposure to estrogen and progesterone
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/co...t_cancer_5.asp

But there is research linking breastfeeding to a reduced cancer rate.

It seems the issue isn't just that breasts were made to feed babies. But they were made to feed multiple babes for a long time. Our bodies were not made to have a lot of periods.

Even that isn't a guarantee.

[kjbrown92]

My mother breastfed each of us for over a year (no formula) at a time when it was apparently not that much in fashion. Doesn't/didn't drink/smoke. Had all her kids before age 30. Thin, exercised, sort-of healthy eating (alot of fresh fruits/vegetables, but she likes sweets). Apparently all the things that lowered her risk. She got pre-menopausal breast cancer at age 47.

[Ruthla]

I personally know a handful of women who have had breast cancer, but I don't know any of them well enough to ask them about their breastfeeding history. Nor can I think of a tactful way to ask any of them about it.

[alicewyf]

My paternal grandmother was not able to breastfeed and got breast cancer in her early 70s. It was treated with radiation therapy and she is fine, she did not need a mastectomy.

[grahamsmom98]

I breastfed ds until he was 4 1/2 years old. Of, course, breastmilk wasn't his sole source of food at that age, but I was still producing milk with no problem.

There is no history of any type of cancer in either side of my family. I am sure that no relative breastfed as long as I did (everyone breastfed, no formula ever used).

Don't know if this really means anything or not!

[bunny's mama]

i know 3 women who BFed and got breast cancer, all have the breast cancer gene (BRCA). i think i remember hearing that BF does NOT lower your risk of b-cancer if you have a genetic predisposition.

[mtnsweetie]

Wow, bunny's mama, how did you meet so many women in the same situation?  I only know those in my family.  We have both BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations present, and in terms of women who carry that mutation, it depends on the mutation (i.e., so if you have a mutation, please make sure you are working with a high-risk program while you feed your sweet babes!).

Was there ever an end result to the original poll?  I'm curious (former health researcher in a former non-mama life).

[Annie Mac]

It's a difficult poll to answer, as most -- if not all! -- of us here are still alive and don't know yet whether we will get cancer. If you're 25, have breastfed  a baby and haven't gotten cancer, that doesn't mean you won't.   I think there are way too many factors to predict or prove causality. I have heard stats of decreased cancer rates though. 

[cameragirl]

Unfortunately, it does occur in women that exclusively breastfeed. My mom breastfed me for 10 months, and my younger sister for 3.5 years. She discovered a lump at the age of 32, which was diagnosed as stage 2 cancer. She only stopped nursing my sister when she had to undergo treatment. Breastfeeding does reduce the risk of some types of breast cancer, and the reduction in risk is definitely worth the time spent breastfeeding.