While there is no cure for ovarian cancer yet, Penn Medicine is at the forefront of discovering new treatments for ovarian cancer, and learning about a woman's risk for developing ovarian cancer through research at the Basser Research Center for BRCA 1 and 2.
Pregnancy, Breastfeeding Linked To Decreased Risk of Ovarian Cancer
There are some ways women can decrease their risk of ovarian cancer. One of those ways is through pregnancy and breastfeeding.Pregnancy and breastfeeding are linked to a decreased risk of ovarian cancer.
That is because ovulation stops or occurs less often in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. Some experts believe that women who ovulate less often have a decreased risk of ovarian cancer.
In fact, Australian researchers conducted a study involving 493 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and compared them with 472 healthy volunteers of similar age. Each was asked how many children they had and for how long they breastfed each one, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports.
The results showed those who breastfed a child for at least 13 months were 63 percent less likely to develop a tumor than those who did so for less than seven months.
Mothers who had three children and breastfed for a total of 31 months or more were found to cut their chances of ovarian tumors by 91 percent. This was compared to those feeding naturally for a total of under 10 months.
Do You Know Your Risk?
Learn your risk for cancer with the What’s My Risk tool from Oncolink.What’s My Risk? is a comprehensive program designed to help you learn about factors that determine your personal risk of many types of cancer and what they can do to decrease that risk.
