Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer

What is breast cancer :

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. ... Breast cancer most commonly develops in cells from the lining of milk ducts and the lobules that supply the ducts with milk

How does breastfeeding lower cancer risk:

There are theories that breastfeeding lowers the risk of cancer

  1. Women who breastfeed have fewer menstrual cycles throughout their lives, and therefore less exposure to estrogen, which has been shown to fuel some types of breast cancers.
  2. Breastfeeding makes breast cells more resistant to mutations that can cause cancer

Can you breastfeed if you have cancer:

You can still nurse if you are having radiation therapy, but having had radiation will limit milk production in the affected breast.Cancerous cells cannot be passed to your baby through breast milk.

What is breastfeeding cancer :

Breastfeeding can lower breast cancer risk, especially if a woman breastfeeds for longer than 1 year. There is less benefit for women who breastfeed for less than a year.