Breast Cancer And Pregnancy

Although it is rare for breast cancer to strike younger women, the truth remains that all women are at risk. And for those of childbearing age, the first sign and symptoms of breast cancer leading to a diagnosis can not only be upsetting and unexpected, but complicated as well.

Developing breast cancer at a younger age in a woman’s 40s, 30s, even 20s will mean making important and difficult decisions about one’s life and future perhaps much sooner than originally expected.

One point is developing breast cancer during pregnancy, which although rare, can still occur. In this issue, the treatment chosen will not only affect the patient and her body, but the growing baby inside her as well. It will depend on what stage of pregnancy she is in (first, second or third trimester) and what stage her cancer is in such as whether or not it’s advanced.

Most pregnant women can have medicine for their breast cancer without affecting the baby. But a little might be advised by their obstetrician or health-care practitioner or even decide themselves to terminate the pregnancy, more so if the pregnancy is in its earlier stages, in order to receive certain treatments that would be too risky otherwise. But it is essential to remember that it is a woman’s own decision it is not medically necessary to terminate a pregnancy if the expectant mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. All it does is limit treatment options. Breast cancer itself will not affect the fetus only certain tests and treatments will.

Commonly speaking, tamoxifen, chemotherapy, radiation, and other drug-related therapies are avoided if the woman is pregnant because of their associated risks with birth defects. Tamoxifen, especially, is considered very unsafe because it is a hormonal therapy and is never recommended if the woman is pregnant or planning on conceiving.

Surgery—either a lumpectomy or mastectomy—is the most common and preferred method of treatment for breast cancer in pregnant women.

Another concern is whether or not breast cancer survivors can or should go on to have children after treatment and recovery. It’s a very controversial issue with firm advocates on both sides of the debate.

There are two main questions here, for both the medical and health community and breast cancer survivors wanting their own children:

1) Do certain breast cancer treatments affect fertility

2) Is it actually considered safe to conceive and carry a baby to term following breast cancer and breast cancer treatments?

As far as fertility goes, there is no definite answer here. For chemotherapy, it depends on the age and what specific drug was used—some affect fertility more than others. And taking tamoxifen after chemotherapy to prevent recurrence is not recommended if the woman desires to become pregnant right away. Although tamoxifen is sometimes used as a fertility treatment, there is evidence to suggest that it damages developing embryos, and therefore is not considered safe to use.

Many doctors caution these women to wait a few years to ensure receiving the best breast cancer treatment workable and to go past the point of the biggest threat of breast cancer recurrence. But some women decide to go ahead and have babies anyway, since it’s so important to them.

How to Avoid Breast Cancer ( 2 )

The pattern of life that is not balanced resulting in ease of developing the disease, including breast cancer, a healthy diet, exercising and avoiding alcohol is one way to avoid breast cancer is easy to do, remember that it's better to prevent than to treat

efforts for the prevention of breast cancer patients need intensive medical is very painful and can spend a lot of costs, then ovoid breast cancer with a healthy lifestyle as below :

1.Exercise regularly.
Research shows that in accordance with the increasing activity, the risk of breast cancer will be reduced. Exercise will lower the levels of estrogen produced by the body thus reducing the risk of breast cancer.

2.Fight the fat.
You certainly have heard disagreement about the relationship between breast cancer with fatty foods. Some research suggests that low-fat diet help prevent breast cancer. Other research indicates that there is no relationship between fat and breast cancer .. Recent research states that more important is the type of fat is not the amount of fat consumed.

Type of fat that triggers breast cancer is the saturated fat in meat, butter, foods that contain full-cream milk (whole-milk dairy foods) and fatty acids in margarine.

While the type of fat that helps prevent breast cancer is the unsaturated fats in olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and other cold water fish.

Saturated fat in meat and dairy products and fatty acids in margarine raise levels of estrogen in the blood, whereas the unsaturated fats in olive oil and omega-3 fatty acids in fish did not cause increased levels of estrogen in the blood.

3.If you eat meat, do not be cooked too ripe.
Regardless of saturated the fat contained in meat, the way you cook the meat will affect breast cancer risk. Meats are cooked / baked produce carcinogenic compounds (amino heterocyclic). The longer it is cooked, the more of these compounds are formed. Amino heterocyclic most numerous in the outer layer of grilled meat (skin) charred and black.

4. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the less risk for all cancers, including breast cancer.

Foods from plants containing high anti-oxidant properties, including vitamins A, C, E and the mineral selenium, which can prevent cell damage that could be causing cancer. National Cancer Institute (NCI) recommends to consume fruits and vegetables at least 5 (five) times a day. But to avoid fruits and vegetables that contain lots of the fat, like french fries or a banana cream pie.

5. Anti-oxidant supplements.
Supplements can not replace fruits and vegetables, but an anti-oxidant formula could be a food additive that can prevent breast cancer.

6. Eat more fiber food.
In addition to functioning as anti-oxidants, fruits and vegetables also contain lots of fiber. Fiber foods will bind estrogen in the digestive tract, so that levels in the blood will be reduced.

7. Eat more tofu and soy-containing foods.
Foods derived from soy contains plant estrogens (fito-estrogen). Like tamoxifen, these compounds similar to estrogen the body, but weaker. Phy-estrogen receptor bound to the same cells with estrogen the body, tying out of breast cells, thereby reducing the trigger effect of breast cancer.

In addition to blocking the body's estrogen to reach receptor cells, food type soybeans also accelerate spending estrogen from the body.
In addition to the soybean, fito-estrogen is also present in other types of nuts.

8.From now on say no to alcohol.
Many studies have shown that the more alcohol consumed, the risk of breast cancer increasing because alcohol increases estrogen levels in the blood.

9. Consider your weight.
Every pound of weight gain after age 18 years will increase the risk of breast cancer. This is because in line with the increase in body fat, the levels of the hormone estrogen triggers breast cancer in the blood will increase.

10. Avoid xeno-estrogens.
Xeno-estrogens from estrogen means outside the body.

Women taking estrogen from outside the body, especially those from hormone residues in meat contained estrogenic and estrogenic pesticide residues. Suspected xeno-estrogens may increase blood levels of estrogen thereby increasing the risk of breast cancer.

The best way to avoid xeno-estrogens is to reduce consumption of meat, poultry (chickens, ducks) and dairy products (whole-milk dairy products).
But you do not have to worry about eating lots of fruits and vegetables, because the effect of anti-oxidants and fiber content more than the residual effects of pesticides.

11. Sunbathe under the sun.
The increasing incidence of skin cancer (malignant melanoma) make us afraid of sunlight. But a little sunlight may help prevent breast cancer, because at the time of sun on the skin, the body make vitamin D. Vitamin D helps absorb calcium breast tissue, thereby reducing the risk of breast cancer. In order to obtain the sun for 20 minutes / day, are encouraged to walk under the sun in the afternoon or evening. But if you want to get calcium or vitamin D from sunlight, you can try to consume food supplements.

12. Do not smoke.
Smoking increases the risk of breast cancer.

13. Breastfeeding / give milk to your child
For reasons still unclear, breastfeeding associated with reduced risk of breast cancer before menopause.

14. Consider again before using hormone replacement therapy (HRT = Hormone Replacement Therapy).

There are Several Good Reasons to do HRT after menopause, the which reduces the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and Alzheimers disease. But Will HRT increase of breast cancer risk. Talk with your doctor the risks and Consider That may Arise, Suffer Because most women higher risk for heart disease than breast cancer.

Finally, one more thing That can affect breast cancer risk is the stress.

Medical literature states That stress can boost the risk of breast cancer. But research on this subject is still controversial. But it never hurts to start a Way to Overcome the stress in your life through meditation, yoga, tai chi, gardening, etc

Women Must Know The Risks of breast Cancer

Most of the diseases of the breast are benign. But the malignant disease, if diagnosed early, may be subject to effective treatment in a complete cure.

Breast cancer is the most common tumor of the female population and is the second leading cause of death after Cerdiovas Colari diseases, in women between 35 and 75 years. It is estimated that about 1 in 13 women during their lifetime will be affected by this disease.

Breast cancer showing a relative increase with age, exceptional under 20 years, rare between 20 and 29 years, gradually becoming more frequent from 30 years, reaching the highest values during the menopausal and post-menopausal, aged 45 to 60 years.

As with most Cancers, including breast cancer, the cases are still unknown, it is therefore impossible to make a primary prevention, that is , against the causative factors. the most important risk factor is age, however, followed by other items listed below.


A) Demographic and sociological indicators:

- Age
- Rich Western populations
- Well-off social classes

B) the constitutional and reproductive factors:

- Families at high risk
- Age at menopause
- Obesity or overweight postmenopausal
- Early Menarche
- Height
- Nulliparity
- Primigravidanza late
- Lack of breast milk or short

C) Environmental Factors:

- Ionizing Radiation
- Diet high in pre-pubertal and pubertal
- Lack of physical activity in young age
- Diet high in saturated fat and animal protein
- Consumption of alcohol
- Diet low in fruits and vegetables

Diagnosis and prevention. Early detection of cancer allows surgical and medical therapy to ensure a real cure of the disease. An early diagnosis can only be achieved through regular and systematic monitoring of the breasts.

Breast cancer is the top made of a single malignant cell, which divides giving rise to two malignant cells and so on. In this growth, the cancer becomes clinically diagnosed when it reaches a diameter of about 1 cm. E 'was calculated that to reach this size takes about 6 years.

Many studies have shown that more than 5% of tumors with diameters less than 1 cm did not spread to the axillary lymph nodes, have thus remained confined to the breast, improving greatly the chances of recovery. This is because the cancer is diagnosed when he fails again cm in diameter.

How to Avoid From Breast Cancer ( 1 )

October is the Breast cancer month, a time to think about a disease that many women feared, 10 years ago. the experts thought that breast cancer is a disease which can not be prevented, Today researchers have a lot to know how to avoid breast cancer, at lease reduce the risk of breast cancer.

there are 17 ways to avoid from breast cancer , 2 of them is the prevention of medical terms, and the rest is an alternative  therapy.

the approaches of medicasl terms are :

 1. Drugs to avoid breast cancer, for  women with high risk,which who survived from breast cancer, or who at lease have  blood relative with cancer ( mother or sister ), can get the therapy Tamoxifen which work by blocking the effect of  estrogen trigger tumors.

2. Mastectomy before cancer attacks, For women from families with  high genetic risk. there is a mastectomy for breast cancer prevention, it is a radical approach , but mostly succeed. Mastectomy is lifting the breast tissue but not entirely, so the possibility of  cancer can still happen.