Like most young cancer patients, young women with the disease need to face various breast cancer struggles. Regardless of recovery or ongoing treatments, various challenges often pop up when they least expect them to.
Usually, when we hear someone has breast cancer, we automatically imagine someone at a very ripe age. We don’t usually picture someone in their 20s or 30s having breast cancer struggles.
Unfortunately, that reality has become more and more apparent today. In fact, only in Singapore, 10% of women with breast cancer belong to this age group.
So in honour of breast cancer awareness month and in our goal to prevent more women from suffering from this disease, let’s all better educate ourselves about the struggles that young women with breast cancer have to go through.
Causes of Breast Cancer in Young Women
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Before we dive into the typical struggles of young women with breast cancer, let us first understand why it’s even happening. Why are more and more women struggling with breast cancer?
There was talk that a big factor that caused the increase of breast cancer in women is obesity. Since the number of women falling under this category more and more each year, the risk of getting cancer also increases. Although this finding is not yet conclusive, in general, avoiding obesity is still good advice.
Another finding is the increase of estrogen in our environment, which is said to increase the risk of women getting breast cancer. Either of these two factors may be blamed for this increase in breast cancer cases among women.
Recently, a breakthrough in the detection of the disease appeared in the form of a breast cancer blood test. This new means of early breast cancer detection provides potential patients with some time to prepare for the inevitable.
Struggles of Young Women with Breast Cancer
Delayed Diagnosis
Because breast cancer is not typical for women who are in their 20s or 30s, those who have the symptoms would often ignore them or think that what they have is something else.
Because many physicians do not automatically assume a woman in her 20s or 30s would have breast cancer, they usually brush past this diagnosis and look at more probable ones more fitting for their age. And the effect? Young women getting late diagnoses of their breast cancers.
Difficult Recovery
Younger women have denser breast tissue than older women, and that’s why their breast cancers are more aggressive.
Most of them also are less likely to respond to treatment. And when they do, they can’t even have routine screening, because of their dense breast tissue.
Lesser Quality of Life
The treatment for breast cancer is not a joke. It can affect a lot of aspects of womanhood that a lot of ladies are looking forward to.
The harsh treatment for breast cancer can essentially affect a woman’s sexuality, reproductive health, and pregnancy.
Preventing Breast Cancer in Young Women
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The first piece of advice we can offer is to our readers who have relatives with the breast cancer gene. Best to get yourselves checked as early as you possibly can. Alternatively, you can schedule a blood test that helps detect early signs of cancer.
For those who are fortunate enough not to have the breast cancer gene living in their bloodline, here are a few things you can do to reduce the risk:
Maintaining Your Ideal Body Weight
As mentioned, obesity is known to be a cause of breast cancer. So, a way opposite that direction is to maintain a healthy body weight. How do you do that? Eating healthy is one way. Exercising is another. So, if you think about it, eating healthy and getting those abs is not just for the aesthetic – it’s avoiding breast cancer as well.
Slow Down the Alcohol
Remember when we said the higher the estrogen there is in the environment, the higher you are at risk of getting breast cancer? Well, guess what else is high in estrogen? Yes, that’s right.
That favourite beer of yours that you say is just your nightcap actually increases your chances of struggling with breast cancer. Because of this, we encourage you to think twice before opening another bottle.
Breastfeeding
Bet you didn’t think breastfeeding was a preventive measure for breast cancer, did you? You’re not alone! Fortunately, apart from the many magical properties of breastmilk, breastfeeding also delays a woman’s menstrual period.
So, applying the same logic as our previous point, if you can avoid producing more estrogen (like delaying your menstrual period), the higher your chances are of dodging breast cancer.
Signs of Breast Cancer
Now you know how you can avoid breast cancer. Let’s now find out the ways you can check if your efforts are working. Here are ways you can check if you yourself have breast cancer:
- Lumps in your breast
- Swollen or thickened part of the breast
- Irritated breast
- Dimpling of breast skin
- Flaky nipples or underboob
- Sensitive nipples
- Non-milk nipple discharges
- Change in breasts size
If you recognize any of these symptoms, get yourself a mammogram to further confirm whether you have breast cancer or not.
There you have it, ladies. The abundance of information now readily available about breast cancer should be a celebratory moment for all of us. Let’s all continue to raise awareness for the disease to honour everyone who suffered from it.