Women's health (8)
- Health issues for lesbians: Prevention first
- Women's health: Preventing the top 7 threats
- Kegel exercises: A how-to guide for women
- see all in Women's health
Breast health (10)
- Breast lump: Early evaluation is essential
- Breast implants: Saline vs. silicone
- Breast cancer prevention: How to reduce your risk
- see all in Breast health
Women's life stages (12)
- Menopause weight gain: Stop the middle age spread
- Menstrual cycle: What's normal, what's not
- Water retention: Relieve this premenstrual symptom
- see all in Women's life stages
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
continued:
Breast cancer prevention: How to reduce your risk
Is there a link between birth control pills and breast cancer?
Current evidence suggests that use of oral contraceptives doesn't increase the risk of breast cancer. While older research showed a slight increase in risk, those studies included pills with higher estrogen doses than what's available today. In addition, the older research showed that 10 or more years after stopping oral contraceptives, the risk of breast cancer returned to the same level as that of women who never used oral contraceptives.
What else can I do?
Be vigilant about breast cancer detection. If you notice any changes in your breasts, such as a new lump or skin changes, consult your doctor for an evaluation. Also, ask your doctor when to begin mammograms and other screening procedures to detect breast cancer.
Remember, it's not always possible to prevent breast cancer. By practicing healthy habits, however, you're taking an active role in breast cancer prevention.
Previous page(2 of 2)
- Kushi LH, et al. American Cancer Society guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention: Reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food choices and physical activity. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2006;56:254.
- Stein C, et al. Cancer prevention. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 31, 2010.
- Zhang SM, et al. Alcohol consumption and breast cancer risk in the Women's Health Study. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2007;165:667.
- McTiernan A. Behavioral risk factor in breast cancer: Can risk be modified? The Oncologist. 2003;8:326.
- Prentice RL, et al. Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of invasive breast cancer: The Women's Health Initiative randomized controlled dietary modification trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2006;295:629.
- Chlebowski RT, et al. Influence of estrogen plus progestin on breast cancer and mammography in healthy postmenopausal women. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2003;289:3243.
- Brinton LA, et al. Menopausal hormone therapy and breast cancer risk in the NIH-AARP diet and health study cohort. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2008;17:3150.
- Questions and answers about the WHI postmenopausal hormone therapy trials. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi/whi_faq.htm. Accessed Nov. 18, 2008.
- Kahlenborn C, et al. Oral contraceptive use as a risk factor for premenopausal breast cancer: A meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2006;81:1290.
- Casey P, et al. Oral contraceptive use and the risk of breast cancer risk. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2008;83:86.
- Velicer CM, et al. Antibiotic use in relation to the risk of breast cancer. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association. 2004;291:827.
- Brody JG, et al. Environmental pollutants and breast cancer. Cancer. 2007;109:2667.
- Boffeta P, et al. Fruit and vegetable intake and overall cancer risk in the European investigation cancer and nutrition (EPIC). Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2010;102:529.
- What you need to know about breast cancer: Risk factors. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/breast/page4. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
- 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.health.gov/paguidelines/pdf/paguide.pdf. Accessed Jan. 29, 2009.
- Costanza ME, et al. Epidemiology and risk factors for breast cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
- Oral contraceptives and cancer risk: Questions and answers. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/oral-contraceptives. Accessed Sept. 20, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on