to read:
But the consequences of just keeping an eye on it, (as opposed to aggressively investigating it) even for a few cycles, can be deadly.
Certainly, I did not mean to imply one should not at least “keep an eye on it”. Rather I meant this was an inadequate response to a lump in a young woman under many circumstances. Observing it through one cycle to see if it varies in size with relation to altering hormone levels (features of a benign mass) is reasonable. Waiting 3 months to re-examine it for interval growth is not.
No, because OCPs (Oral Contraceptive Pills) are a combination estrogen/progestin. So taking them continuously is just like taking continuous estrogen & progestin after menopause, except that the post-menopause replacement levels are lower than natural pre-menopausal levels on average, and OCPs prvide higher than natural levels in order to suppress ovulation. The progesterone protects against continued endometrial proliferation that can lead to Endometrial Cancer.
I had heard of world class athletes using OCPs in a continuous fashion to avoid cyclic changes that would affect their training & performance, but had not heard that the practice was widespread.
There’s an interesting article on the subject of birth-control pills and breast cancer in the March 13 issue of the New Yorker. In regard to kayo’s question about how a mere 120 periods that a 20-year-old would have could increase her risk of cancer, the article points out that a woman in a non-industrial society can well have that number of periods in a lifetime, what with late menstruation, many childbirths and long lactation periods.
anybody remember that documentary, “Rachel’s Daughters,” that aired on HBO a few years ago? one woman oncologist investigated a link between cancer and use of the microwave to heat liquids-- had nothing to do with the microwave, but rather with the plastic containers used therein: long-chained plastic molecules are easily broken off into your beverage, resulting in that ‘plasticky’ taste, and when heat enters the picture (as the story goes w/the doc), a hormone is synthesized, ready for consumption when the 0:00 flashes and the buzzer chimes. now this documentary may be a bit dated, but how about it, BB MDs?-- plastic+microwave=recent uptick/plateau of breast cancer? what say you?
the hog squeal of the universe is coming from my modem!
Oh, I’ve been meaning to post a couple of unpaid political announcements about breast cancer for a while.
If you, or someone you know, has breast cancer (or any other kind of cancer) and are interested in participating in clinical trials, there is a new website up that can help you find trials in your state & descibe the experimental treatment, list eligiblity
criteria & give names & phone numbers for who to contact. AFAIK, it only lists government=sponsored trials, though, so ask your doctor about others as well.
If you just want to help out with the breast cancer effort, the USPS has a first-ever program to sell stamps for more than the going rate & provide the money raised by these stamps to breast cancer research programs.
The stamps go for 40¢ IIRC, and are in their 2nd printing. They have been out for about 1 1/2 years.