Menopause and
breast-cancer risk
Menopause occurs
when a woman’s
reproductive cycle
is over and she can
no longer produce
offspring. For many
women, menopause
occurs around age 50.
While menopause itself is not
a risk for breast or other cancers,
it’s important to know that
some symptom treatments and
other factors can increase the risk
for cancer among menopausal
women.
The North American Menopause
Society says that a woman
going through perimenopause and
menopause may experience various
symptoms, which can range
from hair loss to food cravings
to hot flashes to vaginal dryness.
The National Institutes of Health
indicates some women undergo
combined hormone therapy, also
called hormone replacement
therapy to help relieve menopausal
symptoms such as hot flashes
and osteoporosis. This therapy
replaces estrogen and progestin,
which diminish in a woman’s
body after menopause sets in.
However, NIH’s Women’s Health
Initiative Study has found that
women undergoing this therapy
have a higher risk of breast cancer,
among other conditions.
WebMD says evidence suggests
that the longer a woman
is exposed to female hormones,
whether it’s those made by the
body, taken as a drug, or delivered
by a patch, the more likely she
is to develop breast cancer. That
means that hormone replacement
Caribbean L 42 ife, Oct. 11-17, 2019 BQ
therapy can increase breast
cancer risk and also indicates
that the longer a woman remains
fertile the greater her risk for certain
cancers. Women who began
menstruating before age 12 or
entered menopause after age 55
will have had many ovulations.
This increases the risk of uterine,
breast, and ovarian cancers, states
the American Society of Clinical
Oncology. It also may impact a
woman’s chances of developing
endometrial cancer.
Gaining weight after menopause
can also increase a woman’s
risk of breast cancer, states
the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Therefore, maintaining a healthy
weight or even losing a little
weight can be beneficial.
Women who enter menopause
are not necessarily at a higher
risk for breast cancer, but some
factors tied to menopause can
play a role. Women who want
to lower their risk for various
cancers are urged to eat healthy
diets, quit smoking and maintain
healthy body weights.
Menopause itself is not a risk for breast or other cancers,
but it’s important to know that some symptom
treatments and other factors can increase the risk for
cancer among menopausal women.
Women who enter
menopause are not
necessarily at a higher
risk for breast cancer,
but some factors tied
to menopause can
play a role.
Vascular Institute of New York
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