>I am concerned when people say that breastfeeding "protects" against breast
>cancer - it "reduces the risk" but there are no guarantees as I and some of
>my breastfeeding friends (some of whom are LC's or breastfeeding
>counsellors) have found out when we were diagnosed with breast cancer. My
>real concern is that breastfeeding women may not be as vigilant with
>checking their breasts for any abnormalities because they are breastfeeding
>and think they are safe.

The appropriate response to people not understanding the epidemiological
concept of protection, or reduced risk, is to educate people about what the
terms mean.  Of course breastfeeding protects against breast cancer, or
reduces the risk of breast cancer.  The scientific research clearly shows
that to be true.  Of course this isn't a 100% guarantee -- nothing ever is.
To say that we shouldn't spread the word about the protective effect of
breastfeeding would be like saying that we shouldn't tell people to put
their children in car seats, because then they may not be as vigilant with
driving carefully because their kids are in car seats and they think they
are safe.  Car seats aren't a 100% guarantee that your child won't be killed
in a car accident -- you still to drive carefully and defensivly.
Breastfeeding isn't a 100% guarantee against breast cancer -- you still need
to conduct a breast self-exam every month.  At the same time, we need to be
strongly encouraging parents to put their children in car seats, because it
reduces the risk of injury in case of an accident.  And we need to be
strongly encouraging women to breastfeed their children to lower their own
and their daughters' risk of breast cancer.

Or think of it another way -- other factors that lower the risk of breast
cancer include eating a diet low in fat.  That doesn't mean that anyone
eating a diet low in fat can "relax" and not bother to check their breasts.
This is just plain old common sense.



Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University