The Breast of Intentions

I was watching daytime TV earlier this week (I know, I've only myself to blame), This Morning have been talking about Breast Cancer Awareness Month. They kicked off with a giant list about things that increase your risk of breast cancer. Everyone's favourite family GP Dr Chris also said that by not having children, and having more periods you're more at risk to breast cancer. Blimey. Watch this video from 6:34 to get the entire list.

There's potential truth in what he's saying. As far as I'm aware (please tell me if I'm wrong about the science stuff) oestrogen levels have a lot to do with the causes of breast cancer and the things he talks about can influence oestrogen levels. Not influence cancer, influence oestrogen. And I want him to tell me that. Not just tell me that I should be getting pregnant or else risk dying of cancer. He misses out huge parts of the science and because of that, what he says feels manipulative.

Breast Cancer Care tell me that "breast cancer can run in families, but fewer than 10% of cases are as a result of an inherited faulty gene" but Dr. Chris? He's telling me on live TV that the very first thing I should do is check my family tree. The emphasis on that is huge, but not only is this downplayed by the Breast Cancer Awareness site the there's no follow up with what to do after that. Nice one, This Morning.

I can't really do much about the fact that I don't have kids, and that actually, I might never have them. Women can't do much if they started their menstruation early in life, or if they start menopause early. I feel like the media puts their emphasis on the risks that we can't do anything about. Like having your first child over the age of 30. You can't go back in time. We're fighting the wrong battle. The discussion around breast cancer awareness doesn't help if the media are going to leave out half the science that we need to know. I want to know what being 'at risk' means. Don't dress up the science just so you've got something new to report. Tell me the facts.

When I was a kid, my gran got breast cancer. It wasn't diagnosed quickly, because the cancer was actually under her arm rather than directly in her breast. She had more than one opinion, over a long period of time. She needed a mastectomy. I remember seeing her after her operation, being terrified. I remember my mum seeing me break down as soon as we got off the ward (and not a second before). Cancer breaks people. And it kills. It didn't kill my gran, but she's got MS, she's bed-ridden and she wouldn't survive it again. That terrifies me. But her cancer had nothing to do with her damn lifestyle.

Perhaps it was just shit ol' bad luck.

Breast Cancer Awareness is a fabulous cause. More women having mammograms, doing their own breast examinations and knowing how to do them properly can only be a good thing. But telling women that they could get cancer because they didn't have kids or they had them too late? The fuck? What am I meant to do with that? Tell me, please.

Instead of telling me that an unavoidable part of my lifestyle could put me at risk, tell me what I can do. Today. Something other than being left-handed please. Mainstream media can throw any statistics that they like at us and we believe it because we're lazy. Shows like This Morning have a duty to do report the truth without being sensationalist and scaremongering. Because if people keep reporting bullshit causes for cancer, I'm going to stop listening to the severity of the real ones. If you tell me that hereditary cancer is the main thing I need to worry about, why should I believe you when you've got something concrete to tell me? I just want to know the truth.

Breast examinations don't stop lumps from forming. Talking openly about cancer sadly doesn't stop people getting sick. Having children won't stop cancer. Women being comfortable about examining themselves means they're more likely to spot changes in their body. Women not being afraid to talk to the GP means that any necessary treatment can be available as soon as possible. But we've jumped from giving ourselves a breast examination to getting cancer without anything inbetween. Not every woman who finds a lump in her breast gets cancer. My mum didn't.

Breast cancer is a huge issue, and one that I think women need to be aware of and not shy away from talking about. Mammograms are as important as smear tests. But let's talk about cancer responsibly. Instead of scaring women into to thinking every lump in their breast is cancerous and making them believe it's their own damn fault if the worst does happen to them.

Flickr image from srbyug's photostream. No, they're not my breasts.