Steps For Reducing Your Risk of Breast Cancer

Because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to write a little about the subject since I've been personally affected by it. I believe that the more educated women (and men) are about the subject, and know what to watch for, the quicker it can be detected and treated. There's also the steps you can take to reduce your risk beforehand. 

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of 2014. It ended up being a long 6 months of treatment and even now she's still suffering from it; with doctors appointments, medication, and sometimes complications and pains that just weren't there previously. It wasn't just hard on her, it was hard on the entire family. We had to learn to be strong for her, because she needed us to be. We had to stay positive even when we had a lot of fears. As for myself, in addition to all of this, I became more aware that this may also be in my future. Chances of myself being diagnosed after my mother's diagnosis are high. It's a sobering thought, really. I'm 33 and never considered doing regular self checkups. A lot think 33 is too young to worry about it, high risk or not. Truth is, women are being diagnosed younger and younger; a lot with no family history of it. It's also important to be aware that it isn't just women who can be diagnosed. Men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer as well. It may seem silly, or not manly to be self checking for breast cancer signs, but it could save your life. 

It wasn't until my mother was diagnosed, that we started talking about it more together. It shouldn't wait until one of you is diagnosed to open up a discussion about prevention. 

Scientists, physicians, and community partners in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP), which is supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), study the effects of environmental exposures on breast cancer risk later in life. They created a mother-daughter toolkit mothers can use to talk to daughters about steps to take together to reduce risk.

More information can also be found HERE

Now that you've read a little bit about important steps mothers and daughters can take together to help reduce their risks of breast cancer, click HERE to take a quick survey. 

This post has been sponsored by Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program