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The earlier breast cancer signs and symptoms are recognized, the better the chance of successful treatment.

The world records an outrageous amount of female deaths resulting from breast cancer every year and many other females are pretty scared of developing breast cancer in the near future.

Well, in this article, we will be talking about all that you need to know about breast cancer including the causes and a couple of preventive measures that you could implement.

First off, what is breast cancer?

Breast cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the breast cells.

This cancer is pretty common and, contrary to public opinion, it can happen in both men and women even though more women suffer from it than men.

Causes Of Breast Cancer

The reasons behind the development of breast cancer is not totally clear as different things contribute to the general growth.

Things like genes, lifestyle, nature and environmental factors.

This is the reason why we won’t be pinpointing any direct cause of breast cancer in this article.

Rather, we will be looking at the risk factors that contribute to the development of breast cancer.

These risk factors are not the causes of breast cancer for sure, but you could be at a high risk for developing the disease if you experience any of them.

Scientifically, medicine has revealed that breast cancer starts to develop when some of the cells in the breast start to grow and multiply way faster than other healthy cells in the body.

These cells then join together to from a lump and could spread to the rest of the body.

These rapid growth and division of cells usually start with the cells that are in the ducts responsible for producing milk.

The risk factors below are factors that may influence this..

Risk Factors Associated With The Development of Cancer

Not everyone stands the risk of developing cancer.

While some people are typically low risk, some others have a high risk of developing the disease.

However, this is where it gets a little bit tricky because some of these people that have all the major risk factors end up without developing breast cancer while some others that don’t even have one risk factor just develop cancer out of the blues.

Some examples of the risk factors include:

• Increase in age
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Late childbearing and lack of breastfeeding: women that have not given birth and breastfed their babies before the age of 35 stand a higher risk of having breast cancer.
• Excess smoking
• Late menopause
• Early menstruation: This is when a girl starts seeing her period before 12 years.
• Excessive weight – obesity.
• Family History: if your sister, mother, or daughter has had cancer of the ovaries or breast cancer, you could stand a chance too.

There are a couple of other risk factors but contrary to public opinion, abortions do not contribute to the growth of breast cancer.

Same with miscarriages and low dose x-rays.

They are quite insignificant when it has to do with the development of cancer.

Birth control pills also do not have any contribution to the risk of breast cancer development.

Some Breast Cancer Signs And Symptoms

One thing you should know before I list these symptoms is that you don’t have to panic if you find out that you are experiencing any of the symptoms.

Because 80% of the symptoms that will be mentioned are not cancerous.

This means that they are benign.

The other 20% however are cancerous and may indicate the presence of cancer.

1. Lumps in the breast: These lumps are usually painless and quite abnormal. Do not freak out, they could be normal and some people that have breast cancer do not even have lumps.
2. Changes in the color and texture of the breast’s skin:  Some parts of the breast’s skin could be redder or darker than usual. It could also have the texture of an orange peel in terms of its looks and feel.
3. Changes in Nipples: Check for changes in the size, position and shape of your nipple. It could look as though it is getting pulled in, retracted, or inverted. Others could appear flaky and as though it is peeling. Examples of other nipple reactions include rashes, itching, burning sensations, open wounds, and bloody nipples that could be even passing out discharge.
4. Breast Pain: Now, this has to be persistent to be considered seriously because in women, the hormonal changes that they experience during menstruation, ovulation and pregnancy often results in tender breasts that could be quite painful to the touch.
5. Check the arm pit for swelling and pains.

How To Checkmate Breast Cancer

Now that you have learnt a lot about breast cancer, what do you now do to take care of yourself and prevent it?

1. 1. Always periodically examine yourself and your breast. This is easily done by gently massaging your breasts from the outside corners to the nipples in smooth circular motions. Be sure to get medical help if you feel any unusual growth or lump while doing this.
   2. Avoid being overweight or underweight. A healthy weight is just fine.
   3. If you engage in smoking, then you would need to stop.
   4. Reduce the amount of alcohol you take.
   5. Reduce the amount of fatty foods that you consume.
   6. Incorporate exercise and lots of physical activities into your daily routine.
   7. It is safe to say that you should get pregnant and breastfeed your baby before you turn 35.
   8. Visit a doctor if you have any doubts. This cannot be over emphasized because medical advice from professionals in the field is obviously trustworthy and you get to take some tests and begin treatment immediately.

Conclusion On Breast Cancer Signs And Symptoms

This article does not cover all the details of breast cancer.

You would need to visit a doctor to get details.

Breast cancer is deadly; if you exhibit any symptoms or signs, make sure you don’t take it at face value.

Medical help is the first thing to be sought for.

Finally being diagnosed with breast cancer is not a death sentence, as breast cancer can be overcome and managed properly if diagnosed early.

Take charge of your health and happiness.