6 Easy Tips To Lower Your Chances of Developing Breast Cancer

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Bright Pink. The opinions and text are all mine.

Truthfully, I haven’t had to think about Breast Cancer very much. I participated in a Breast Cancer walk back in 2016, and have since then made an effort to donate to Breast Cancer research, but other than that? I’ve barely given it a thought.

I don’t have an immediate connection to it, either. Okay, correction, two of my mother’s second cousins were diagnosed with it years ago, and thankfully they beat it and are now in remission. Because they beat it, and because they aren’t my aunts or even my first cousins, I have always assumed that I am not at risk of developing the disease myself. I’m young and relatively healthy. Why would I worry? So when the folks over at Bright Pink reached out to ask me to take their quick breast cancer assessment quiz I thought, why not? My results, I’m sure, would show that I’m at low risk, and I’d carry on with my life.

Incidentally, Bright Pink is a nonprofit organization that focuses on detection and prevention. They are all about helping women focus on healthy living, which, in turn, helps to keep us Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer-free.

Bright Pink’s Assess Your Risk program has helped more than one million women know and manage their breast and ovarian cancer risk proactively since launching in 2013. Their assess your risk quiz really opened my eyes to some of the life choices I’m currently making that impact my chances of developing these two incredibly common forms of cancer in women.

The 19-question digital quiz is free, interactive, and easy-to-use. I took the quiz in five minutes flat.

My results were emailed to me a few minutes later, and I was pretty shocked to see them live and in color:

Evidently, my risk is increasing due to my lifestyle, which is a good thing. This means that I can be proactive in decreasing my chances, and you can, too.

6 Easy Tips To Lower Your Chances of Developing Breast Cancer

1. Take the Assess Your Risk quiz HERE. It’s free, easy, and you’ll receive personalized recommendations to lower your risk.
2. Get a Mammogram every year starting at 40,  or 10 years before your relative’s breast cancer diagnosis. If you have a family history of breast cancer, screening should start 10 years before the age at which your youngest relative was diagnosed, but not before age 30.
3. Limit alcohol.  College is over, ladies. Have one glass a day, if you must, and leave it at that. The more your drink, the higher your risk.
4. Exercise. This is a no-brainer, but one I’ve been slacking on. Now that I know that I’m at risk, guess who is going to the gym tomorrow?
5. Breastfeed. I breastfed my son for 18 months, and I’m glad I did! According to the Mayo Clinic, the longer you breastfeed the lower your risk.

6. Consider SERMs (Selective Estrogen-Receptor Modulators). SERMs are a type of medication/hormone therapy that can lower your risk. Check in with your healthcare professional to make sure this medication is right for you.

   That’s it, ladies. Your first step to prevention is taking the assess your risk quiz. The older we get the more our chances increases, so it’s best to get ahead of this now.

   Do you have a personal connection to Breast or Ovarian Cancer? Share your stories below.