A Few Notes for Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October 7, 2008 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding, cancer, scientific studies
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) I bring you some important information on breast cancer:
~ If you are breastfeeding and scheduled for a breast biopsy, you could participate in a groundbreaking research study. Tanya at the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog explains how “when you make milk, cells from your milk ducts are exfoliated off in the process. These are called epithelial cells, and they’re detectable in your milk. Past research has demonstrated that long before we notice a lump, those epithelial cells start changing in ways that are precursors to the development of breast cancer.” If you participate in the study at no cost to you, your milk sample could help in the development of a non-invasive means of determining breast cancer risk through breast milk.
~ The Health and Wellness Channel here at b5media features its own blog dedicated to breast cancer awareness written by Karen Lynch. To celebrate BCAM, Karen is running a prize giveaway every day this month! Check out Pink Ribbon Review for your chance to win!
~ Boob Maternity and Nursing sells a “Boob Think Pink” nursing top for CDN $65 at Milkface.com. Three Euros from the sale of each tee goes toward breast cancer research.
~ Breastfeeding 1-2-3 features several articles on breastfeeding and breast cancer:
~ Leaking Breast Milk after Surgery for Breast Abscess or Lumpectomy
~ Breast Self-Exams in Lactating Women
~ Video Demonstration of Breast Self-Exam
~ Promising Anti-Cancer Powers of Breast Milk
~ Breast Cancer Testing: X-rays, Mammograms, Ultrasounds, Cat Scans
~ Breastfeeding after Chemotherapy, Radiation and Lumpectomy
~ Breastfeeding Reduces Cancer Risk
~ One-Sided Nursing with Full Supply
You were so supportive in posting about my efforts to fund raise for and participate in the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk – thank you again, both for your post and your generous donation. I’m so pleased to be able to report that I raised over $4,200 and made it through all 60 miles last weekend! It was a wonderful, inspiring, emotional, fun, exhausting experience. I was pleased to see that they had great services for beastfeeding walkers, so they could pump and store milk in camp and along the route.
A note I want to add on advocating — both for a cause and for yourself: my friend in whose memory I walked for the Breast Cancer 3-Day found her lump both times herself, way up near her collar bone. The second time, she was pregnant and her doctors told her TWO DIFFERENT TIMES that it was probably either a plugged duct or scar tissue from her previous lumpectomy, and sent her home. She went back and absolutely insisted they do a biopsy, and, as she suspected, the cancer was back. If she hadn’t been her own health advocate, she could have gone months or years longer before having doctors know what was happening in her body. Please listen to your body and your instincts and respectfully but persistently insist on what tests and care you know you need!