Medically Reviewed by Jason E. Davis, MD

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women after skin cancer. Being female and having a family history of breast cancer are two risk factors that you aren’t able to change. However, there are definitely risk factors that you often can change, says McLeod General Surgeon Dr. Jason Davis.

A few ways you can lower your risk for breast cancer include:

• Breastfeeding: During pregnancy and breastfeeding, a woman sheds breast tissue. This shedding can help remove cells with potential DNA damage, thus helping to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer. Breastfeeding also can help lower your ovarian cancer risk by preventing ovulation.
• Limit hormone replacement therapy after menopause: HRT is an effective treatment for symptoms of menopause; however, it slightly increases the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and sometimes womb cancer.
• Perform daily physical activity: Many studies have shown that physically active women have a lower risk of breast cancer than inactive women. In a 2016 meta-analysis that included 38 cohort studies, the most physically active women had a 12–21% lower risk of breast cancer than those who were least physically active.
• Maintain a healthy body weight: Overweight and obese women have a higher risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer compared to women who maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight also can increase the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence) in women who have had the disease.
• Limit your alcohol consumption: Drinking even small amounts of alcohol is linked with an increased risk of breast cancer in women. Alcohol can raise estrogen levels in the body, which may explain some of the increased risk.
• Quit smoking: Women who are current smokers and have been smoking for more than 10 years appear to have about a 10 percent higher risk of breast cancer than women who’ve never smoked.
• Also, having a mammogram each year after the age of 40 provides not only peace of mind but also greatly improves survival by early detection.

For more information, call McLeod Surgery in Cheraw at 843-320-9086, and discuss with your physician what you can do to lower your risk for breast cancer.