Breast Cancer: Coping with the Fear - Coping with Fear and Reducing Risk

Sep 16, 2026

Upload by Eliana

Breast cancer prevention and anxiety management guidance focuses on understanding real risk, recognizing controllable factors, and taking practical steps that can lower risk. It explains how many women overestimate lifetime likelihood, outlines risk factors such as age, family history, hormone and reproductive influences, dense breasts, and lifestyle contributors. It recommends discussing personalized risk assessment tools with a doctor, adopting healthier habits, and maintaining regular breast exams and mammograms, especially for higher-risk women.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Breast Cancer: Coping with the Fear

Understand your risks

Take steps to lower your risk

Mammograms Remain Best Way to Spot Breast Cancer

Articles on health and wellness, as well as those on UnitedHealthcare programs and services, are provided by and copyrighted by UnitedHealthcare. They may not be altered or reprinted without permission. All other information is provided by your employer. than 60. Many women greatly overestimate their breast cancer risk. So finding out their true risk often reduces their anxiety. If a woman finds out she is at high risk for breast cancer, there are steps she can take to greatly reduce her risk. Options include: Surgical removal of a healthy breast (prophylactic mastectomy) Taking the drug tamoxifen for five years, which studies have shown can reduce the incidence of breast cancer by 45 percent in women considered at high risk Ask your doctor about using this tool to assess your breast cancer risk. It's available from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) . Your doctor may have the tool, or you can get it by calling (800) 4-CANCER --1-800-422-6237 or requesting it from the NCI Website. NCI recommends women go over their results with a doctor. Breast Cancer: Coping with the Fear If there's breast cancer in your family or someone close has been diagnosed, are you afraid you're next? Control your fears through lifestyle changes. For many women, breast cancer is one of their worst fears. There's no doubt that it is a scary disease. But most women overestimate their risk of getting breast cancer. Experts say that women alive now have about a 13 percent risk of getting breast cancer at some time in their lives. Here are some things that may help put the risk in context: This is a woman's lifetime risk, meaning it's spread throughout your life. Most cases of breast cancer occur in women older Another to this is that about out of eight will breast her life That way state one women get cancer sometime during means . that seven out of eight women won't ever get breast cancer . About 41,000 die each of breast More than 330,000 die each of heart disease women year cancer women year . . These numbers only give a general idea of breast cancer risk Your personal risk will depend on many factors The key to coping . . with a fear of breast cancer is knowing what puts you at risk and then taking steps to lower your risk . Understand your risks Just being a woman puts you at risk for breast cancer (Men can get it, too, but it's rare ) Some things that put you at risk are not . . in your control These include: . Age The risk of breast increases cancer as you get older . . A of breast in daughter family history cancer, especially a mother, sister or . A of breast it in breast to it in the breast personal history cancer Having one means you're more likely get other . . before 12 through 55. Starting your period age or going menopause after age dense breasts Your doctor tell if breasts dense Having can you your are . . You may be able to control some things that increase your risk for breast cancer Things that increase your risk include: . Not first child 30. having children or having your after age hormones Taking after menopause . overweight Being after menopause . Articles on health and wellness, as well as those on UnitedHealthcare programs and services, are provided by and copyrighted by UnitedHealthcare. They may not be altered or reprinted without permission. All other information is provided by your employer. Not being physically active. Drinking alcohol. The more you drink, the higher your risk. Take steps to lower your risk There's no way to guarantee that you won't get breast cancer. But certain health practices have been shown to lower the risk of cancer. You don't have to be perfect. Even making a few of these changes could help reduce your breast cancer risk. Don't smoke. This is the number one thing you can do to improve your health and lower your cancer risk. Stay at a healthy weight for your height. Try to a

FAQs

Why do many women have more fear about breast cancer than their actual risk suggests?

Many women overestimate their lifetime risk, which increases anxiety. Experts note that the current lifetime risk is about 13 percent, meaning many women will not develop breast cancer.

What steps can reduce breast cancer risk for women at high risk?

Women can discuss options with a doctor, including lifestyle changes and medical approaches such as tamoxifen for five years. In some cases, prophylactic mastectomy may be an option to greatly reduce risk.

How effective are mammograms for early detection and who should get them?

Mammograms detect 80 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women without symptoms. The guidance states that all women age 40 and older should get a yearly mammogram.

Sep 16, 2026

Upload by Eliana