Early Menstruation, Child Birth: Major risk factors of breast cancer every woman must be wary of

A medical practitioner, Dr. Erica Ntiamoah Mensah, has highlighted the risk factors associated with breast cancer, especially in women which they need to be wary of.

Speaking exclusively on Health Focus on GhanaWeb TV on October 25, 2024, Dr. Ntiamoah Mensah emphasised the need for regular medical check-ups, particularly for the early detection of breast cancer, as several factors put women at risk.

According to her, one of the major risk factors for developing breast cancer is simply being female.

“...one of the greatest risk factors is just being a female. They come in two folds, modifiable and non-modifiable. Modifiable means there’s something you can do about it, while non-modifiable means that there is nothing you can do [about it].

“Number one is being a female. What can you do about it even if you go and do all sorts of things genetically, you're a female,” she said.

Additionally, Dr. Ntiamoah Mensah noted that the early onset of menstruation in young girls, the late onset of menopause, and a family history of breast cancer—particularly among close relatives—place women at a greater risk of developing cancerous cells.

“The second I’d like to talk about that you cannot really do much about is the age of menstruation. Early onset menstruation also increases the risk, late onset menopause, and also if you have a family history - a first-degree relative like a mother or a sister, there’s nothing that you can do about it but this is a risk factor.

“Another is childbirth and breastfeeding. You may be able to do something about it but not really. Who can plan in time and necessarily know that they will be able to have this number of children...,” she noted.

Her comments come in light of breast cancer awareness during October.

Watch the interview below:





MAG/ ADG