Moms: How long did you breastfeed? (toddler, pregnant, daughter, twins)
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That's interesting! I don't think I've ever been asked if I breast fed at a mammogram appointment. I have been asked about family history of breast cancer.
We always ask family history plus personal history questions of smoking, number of pregnancies, number of live births, mother's age at first pregnancy and total months of breastfeeding.
Last edited by missik999; 03-25-2013 at 09:25 AM..
Reason: typo
If you don't trust the study, then say that. But it clearly concludes a risk reduction of 7% for each pregnancy and 4.3% for each year of breastfeeding.
If people think that breastfeeding is a magic bullet, then they are the ones misinterpreting the studies. Reducing risk is completely different from eliminating risk, and nobody is claiming that breastfeeding, or anything else, eliminates your risk for breast cancer.
Well, I DID say some of that stuff made me raise my eyebrows, didn't I?
Here is some good information on breast cancer: Risk Factors for Breast Cancer **In fact, 75% of all women with breast cancer have no known risk factors.
Significantly higher risk
A woman with a history of cancer in one breast is three to four times likelier to develop a new breast cancer, unrelated to the first one, in either the other breast or in another part of the same breast. This is different than a recurrence of the previous breast cancer.
Moderately higher risk
Getting older.
Direct family history.
Genetics.
Breast lesions.
There are lots of good reasons to breast feed, and certainly a weak decrease in the risk of breast cancer is a good thing. However, I'd rather see women breast feed for the benefits to the baby.
There are lots of good reasons to breast feed, and certainly a weak decrease in the risk of breast cancer is a good thing. However, I'd rather see women breast feed for the benefits to the baby.
I agree and I do think that decreasing cancer risk is just a perk, and it's not really the reason that anyone I know breastfed or continued to do so longer. It's just a nice little added benefit. But I do think that it is worth mentioning that there is a decreased risk after breastfeeding, mainly because it is one of the very few risk factors that a woman has some control over.
The Komen page that you linked, cited the same study I did in describing the impact of breastfeeding on breast cancer. I'm just speculating, but perhaps the reason it was categorized by them as a "weak decrease" is because most women in America do not breastfeed for a whole 12 months, therefore even most women who have breastfed would see far less benefit with regard to breast cancer than would someone such as myself who has breastfed for about 7 years so far.
Last edited by ADVentive; 03-25-2013 at 11:53 AM..
I agree and I do think that decreasing cancer risk is just a perk, and it's not really the reason that anyone I know breastfed or continued to do so longer. It's just a nice little added benefit. But I do think that it is worth mentioning that there is a decreased risk after breastfeeding, mainly because it is one of the very few risk factors that a woman has some control over.
The Komen page that you linked, cited the same study I did in describing the impact of breastfeeding on breast cancer. I'm just speculating, but perhaps the reason it was categorized by them as a "weak decrease" is because most women in America do not breastfeed for a whole 12 months, therefore even most women who have breastfed would see far less benefit with regard to breast cancer than would someone such as myself who has breastfed for about 7 years so far.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ADVentive
Oh, I see where they defined it:
Weak decrease = 10-30% reduced risk of disease
Moderate decrease = 30-60% reduced risk of disease
Strong decrease = Greater than 60% reduced risk of disease
So at 4.3% per year, you would need to breastfeed for 7 years (like me) to get bumped up into the moderate category.
I don't think you're interpreting that correctly. Get your mammograms anyway!
That's interesting! I don't think I've ever been asked if I breast fed at a mammogram appointment. I have been asked about family history of breast cancer.
I just had my routine mammogram last week, and that was all they asked me about - family breast cancer history.
Had to leave son at hospital for 10 days cause he was a premmie. He got used to the bottle and I had breasts which turned into bricks while I waited for him to come home. But I was hell bent on nursing him. He wanted nothing to do with me. I was crushed so took him to ped who told me:
"The good lord is not going to let that child starve to death with a food supply so close. You have my permission to try him ever hour for 36 hours without worry of him being sick and he will latch on. Also you must take this opportunity to show him who is boss so you better start early."
When I told my mother what I was trying she had a hissy fit. Good thing she wasn't anywhere close. DS went about 35.5 hours before he gave in and started to nurse and he didn't quit till he was 2.5 and only then cause hwas more interested in his toys than in me. He went from breastfeeding to a sippy cup in 1 days with rare bottles.
For first adopted daughter I tried to nurse her but not much milk left over after 2 .5 year old son was finished so she lost interest real soon and I was too tired to follow through. Also she had gained only 1 lb since birth to 3 months when we brought her home from Korea and i wasn't comfortable with holding out for her. She would suck the life out of a bottle in no time and blew up so fast we called her The Happy Buddah when she was only 5 months old.
My first was 11-12 months. My current is 8.5 months and going strong. I know a lot more this time and think I might go longer. I am in a group with several moms of 1.5-2 yr olds still nursing.
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