Women's Health

Gynecology

Menopause

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer affects roughly 1 in every 50 women over the age of 50. While the risk rises steadily throughout a woman's reproductive years, it increases even more following menopause. Possible risk factors include family history; personal history; early menstruation (before age 12); late menopause (after age 55); having a first child after age 30; or never having children. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) may increase this risk.

Your best protection is to catch it early by faithfully performing monthly breast exams and having regular mammograms. Self-exams and a doctor's breast exam can help spot abnormalities, but a mammogram can spot cancer up to two years before you or your doctor could feel a lump. Talk to your doctor about when you should begin having mammograms, and how often to have them performed.

Uterine Cancer

It has been found that there is an elevated risk of uterine cancer in menopausal women who undergo Estrogen Replacement Therapy (ERT). Discuss this risk with your doctor when considering hormone therapy.