Help CHRISTUS St. Vincent Breast Institute take on
breast cancer in Northern New Mexico. Take charge
of your breast health, and share the facts about risk,
screening and prevention with the women you love.
KNOW
YOUR RISK
BE
VIGILANT
ABOUT SCREENING
INSIST ON A
HEALTHY
LIFESTYLE
Strong
Women
CALLING ALL
YOUR RISK IS PERSONAL
Your personal level of risk depends on many factors. Some are related to your
lifestyle — for example, how much you weigh and whether you exercise — while
others may be biological or genetic and are beyond your control.
Factors that make it more likely for some women to develop breast cancer than
others include:
+ advancing age, as breast cancer risk steadily increases with age
+ early onset of menstruation (before age 12)
+ family history of breast cancer, particularly in a first-degree relative —
mother, sister or daughter — or multiple relatives on either side of your family
+ first pregnancy after age 35 or never carrying a pregnancy beyond 20 weeks
+ late menopause (after age 55)
+ personal history of benign breast abnormalities, such
as atypical hyperplasia, papillomatosis or radial scars
+ postmenopausal obesity
+ specific inherited genetic mutations known
to increase the risk of developing breast and
ovarian cancers
+ using hormone replacement therapy for longer
than 15 years
Breast cancer is the
most commonly
diagnosed cancer
among New Mexico
women.
STREET SIGN
4
st vin.org | Fall 2017
CANCER CARE
4
