Will mothers choose this drug?
If a drug could reduce breast cancer by 42% in our country, we would be promoting it. If the drug was used for more than 24 months, breast cancer would be reduced by 54%. Yet, among those women who use this drug, most quit its use within 4 to 6 months. Those women in our country who average 2.5 children and who use this drug for 6 months more than is customary could prevent 25,000 breast cancers each year; using the drug for 12 additional months could prevent 50,000 breast cancers each year. This drug has a wonderful impact upon the health of women. This “drug” is called breastfeeding.
This information is based on 47 studies of almost 150,000 women in 30 countries (The Lancet, July 20, 2002).
Another study concluded that breastfeeding is associated with a lower incidence of breast cancer among a group of younger women who are at particularly high risk: those with breast cancer in the family. Women who had a mother or sister who had breast cancer and breastfed for at least 3 months cut their risk of breast cancer in half (Archives of Internal Medicine, August 2009).
The American Institute for Cancer Research states “the evidence examined by AICR’s international panel of experts showed, convincingly, that breastfeeding protects women against both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer (What You Should Know About Breastfeeding, AICR, May 2008). Any group interested in reducing the incidence of breast cancer should be promoting breastfeeding.
Breast Cancer: Risks and Prevention—This booklet should be read by every young lady and woman. It helps women understand what their risks factors are for development of breast cancer and how they can reduce their risk. An excellent booklet at NFPI links.
Sheila Kippley