Breast cancer. Risks and choices.

The American Cancer Society reports that almost one of every eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer by age 85. It has become the leading cause of cancer death in women up to age 55. Many of the factors which put women at risk cannot be controlled. For example, women can't control their family history, their age or whether their menstrual cycle starts early or ends late in life. But medical researchers are now realizing that women can control some of the risk factors in getting breast cancer by the choices they make: for example, choosing to eat a diet high in broccoli and cabbage. Choosing to have a child or terminate a pregnancy can also impact on the risk of breast cancer, as there is now growing evidence that abortion of a normal pregnancy, with the high estrogen levels it produces in the mother, predisposes a woman to getting breast cancer later in life.

There are several questions to be asked about abortion and it's link to breast cancer. How does abortion ultimately cause breast cancer? Does a miscarriage also confer increased breast cancer risk? Why wouldn't a spontaneous abortion carry an increased risk as well as an induced abortion? Of the women who will have abortions this year, how many cases, based on research, will result in breast cancer? Is there any difference in the severity of the cancer because of the abortion history? When a woman visits her doctor, should she inform the doctor of her history of abortion during the breast exam and ask about the added risk of breast cancer? What are the risk factors for someone in this category? How does the legalization of RU 486 affect breast cancer rates?

To get the answers to these questions ask about our brochure "Breast Cancer risks and choices." Go to http://www.lutheransforlife.org/ to find out how to order this brochure and to see all of the other informational, educational Gospel based items we have!