A 59-year-old woman comes to the office for a peri - alendronate

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A 59-year-old woman comes to the office for a periodic health maintenance examination. She and her 55-year-old sister, who is also a patient of yours, are concerned about their risk for breast cancer because they have been hearing so much about it on television. She says, "it seems like every woman over 40 has it today." The patient's menstrual period began at age 16 and she had a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral oophorectomy at age 43. She had one child at age 38. She eats a low fat diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and does not take hormone replacement therapy. Her sister's menstrual period began at age 12 and menopause began at age 53. She had two children at ages 18 and 24. She eats lots of red meat and potato chips and has been taking hormone replacement therapy since menopause began. Comparing each detail individually, the factor in the patient's history that increases her risk for breast cancer is

A. age at first pregnancy

B. age of menarche

C. age of menopause

D. diet

E. lack of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

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AA

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a.

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ans-a

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ans-b

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Women who have had no children or who had their first child after age 30 have a slightly higher breast cancer risk. Having many pregnancies and becoming pregnant at an early age reduces breast cancer risk. Pregnancy reduces a woman's total number of lifetime menstrual cycles, which may be the reason for this effect.

from the American Cancer Society website