Menopause & breast cancer
MMenopause occurs when
a woman’s reproductive cycle
is over and she can no longer longer
produce offspring. For many
women,omen, menopause
occurs around age 50.
While e menopaus
menopause itself is not a risk for breast or other
cancers, it’s importa
ments and other fa
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
-
nal dryness. The National Institutes of Health indicates some
women undergo combined hormone therapy, also called
hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, to help relieve meno-
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
HRT have a higher risk of breast cancer, among other
conditions.
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 HRT can increase breast
cancer risk and also indicates that the longer a woman remains
fertile the greater her risk for certain cancers. Females
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
Women who enter menopause are not necessarily at a
higher risk for breast cancer, but some factors tied to menopause
can play a role. Females who want to lower their risk
-
ing and maintain healthy body weights. TF188214
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.
Explaining
metastatic cancer
Cs
Cancer survival rates are on the rise, and that rise can be
credited to a host hos
of factors. Advancements in cancer research
and treatment have h
played a big role in rising survival rates,
prevention and raise awareness about the disease.
evention and
and 50 percent of cancers can currently be prevented by avoiding
certain risk factors and implementing evidence-based
prevention strategies. However, people can be vulnerable to
cancer if they do not pay attention to their bodies or make
an effort to protect themselves against certain risk factors for
cancer. In such instances, cancer may already have spread to
even diagnosed, greatly reducing their likelihood of surviving
the disease.
Cancer that spreads to distant parts of the body is known
as metastatic cancer and is often referred to as “stage IV can-
20 • OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 81831.36.8628.29.3963464 FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE