Chapter F1. The 'Early Bird' Gets the Breast Cancer Protection
(Brent Rooney)
Alice and Barbara are identical twins. Alice had her first and only
pregnancy at age 18 giving birth to Amy but Barbara waited until she was
33 to have her only pregnancy, a full-term birth (Betsy). Everything else
being about equal, who has the higher breast cancer risk, Alice or
Barbara? Answer: Barbara has about 68% higher risk of breast cancer than
Alice.
Is it not just good enough to have a first before age 30?
For many decades it has been well known by cancer researchers that
women who gave birth had lower breast cancer risk than childless women.
Is any particular birth any more important that others? Lead by Harvard's
Dr. Brian MacMahon the answer was very dramatic: the first full-term
birth was by far the most important in reducing BC risk. (Bulletin WHO,
1970) A woman who has a first full-term birth before age 20 has about
1/2 the BC risk as women who wait until after age 35, according to the
"MacMahon" data. In 1983 this data was reanalyzed to give a more
precise answer ( International Journal of Cancer, B MacMahon, et al.)
Every year a woman waits to have her first full-term pregnancy (FFTP)
increases her BC risk by 3.5% ( compounded ); this is relative risk.
Compared to a woman with an birth at age 18 the increase in relative
BC risks for women at older ages at FFTP (first birth) are as follows:
Age at First % increase in
birth (FFTP) relative BC risk
20 7%
24 --------- 23%
28 41%
32 --------- 63%
36 86%
39 ---------105%
Any confirmation of the "MacMahon" findings?
Many subsequent studies verified 'early first birth protection' and it is
quite well accepted by medical researchers (called epidemiologists).
For example, in 1996 researchers found that each one year delay of
first birth increased BC risk by 4.65% compounded ( International
J Cancer, pp. 187-189 ). Dr. Susan M. Love is a prominent breast
cancer surgeon ( and prominent feminist ). Dr. Love wrote, "And the
younger you are when you have your first child, the lower your
[breast cancer] risk." (Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, 1995, page 242)
Other advantages from an 'early bird' birth:
1. assurance that a woman will not be childless by menopause time
2. ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer risk reduced by about 1/2
3. reduces total exposure to EXCESS estrogen (since a first birth
lowers estrogen levels)
4. women with births will on average live longer than women with NO
births. on a net basis, birth is a net life saver for mom.
married women without births have 16% higher all-cause mortality
than married women with births (British Medical Journal, 1988,
pp. 391-395)
5. More opportunity to breast feed and slash BC risk even more
6. less risk of osteoporosis (via having any birth)
7. there is some evidence that women under age 20 who breastfeed
have more BC risk reduction (than those who start after age 20).
8. substantially reduced risk of suicide during the pregnancy and
in the 12 months after the birth
But what do I do, if I missed my early birth opportunity?
An early first birth is not the 'be all and end all' for good health
for women; you probably know childless older women in very good health.
Such women, however, should place special emphasis on an optimum diet,
should consistently exercise, & (assuming her doctor approves) do many of
the 'health builders' recommended in this document (including NATURAL
progesterone creams).
Good health is like an orchestra, requiring many 'instruments' to provide
a beautiful tune. If you want to maximize your chances of avoiding
cancer, there are some 'new' books that can help you; (most of
the advice also helps you reduce the most important risk for women: heart
attack):
Breast Health (Charles B. Simone, MD, Avery Publishing Group)
[Simone's book is the most comprehensive BC prevention book]
The Breast Cancer Prevention Program (Dr. Samuel S. Epstein,
David Steinman, 1997)
Also helpful are:
How to Prevent Breast Cancer (Vinton C. Vint, MD, et al.)
Breast Cancer? Breast Health! (Susan S. Weed)
The following two articles are useful:
Breast Health Update (Charles B. Simone), Health Counselor mag.,
June/July 1996, pp. 17-23
No Breast Cancer for My Daughter - How to Reduce the Risk (Brent
Rooney), ALIVE magazine, July/August 1995), pp. 17-18
More Recommended Reading:
Every Woman's Book (Paavo Airola, ND); informs woman about true prevention
Return to the Joy of Health (Zoltan Rona, MD, Jeanne Marie Martin)
Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book (Dr. Susan M. Love, 1995)
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The general ideas presented in this article first appeared in the article:
An Early First Birth for Breast Cancer Prevention (Brent Rooney,
ALIVE, April 1997, #174, pp. 34-35)
ALIVE magazine (published monthly)
7436 Fraser Park Drive
Burnaby, Canada
V5J 5B9
One year subscription for U.S. residents - $40 [1998]
[your author has no direct or indirect financial connection to ALIVE
magazine]
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Brent Rooney:
Previous ALIVE articles: No Breast Cancer for My Daughter
How to Reduce the Risk
(July/August 1995, pp. 17-18)
An Early First Birth for
Breast Cancer Prevention
(April 1997, pp. 35-36
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References:
ENDOMETRIAL CANCER
Brinton LA, et al., Reproductive, menstrual, and medical risk factors
for endometrial cancer: Results from a case-control study, American
J Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1992; 167:1317-1325
OVARIAN CANCER
Joly D, et al., An Epidemiologic Study of the Relationship of Reproductive
Experience to Cancer of the Ovary, American J Epidemiology, 1974, 99:190-
209
Whittemore A, et al., Characteristics Relating to Ovarian Cancer Risk:
Collaborative Analysis of 12 US Case-Control Studies, American J
Epidemiology, 1992, 136:1184-1203
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Green A, et al., Mortality in women in relation to their childbearing
history, British Medical J, 1988, 297:391-395
REPRODUCTIVE-HORMONAL
Daling J, et al., Risk of Breast Cancer Among Young women: Relationship
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Decarli D, et al., Age At Any Birth and Breast Cancer Risk,
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510
Russo J, Russo IH, Susceptibility of the Mammary Gland to Carcinogenesis,
Amer J Path, 1980, 100:497-512
Summy-Long J, et al., A Comparative Review and Meta-analysis of Abortion
as an Independent Risk Factor for Breast Cancer, J Epidemiology and
Community Health, 1996, 50:481-496
White Emily, Projected Changes in Breast Cancer Incidence due to the Trend
toward Delayed Childbearing, Amer J Pub Health, 1987, 77:495-497
Yusa S, Trichopoulos D, et al., Age At Any Birth And Breast Cancer Risk,
Int J Cancer, 1983, 31:701-704
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copyright Brent Rooney ( [email protected] )