Morning Sickness to Lower Breast Cancer Risk
Women who suffer through morning sickness during their pregnancies actually may be fortunate because they may have a lower risk of breast cancer later in life, according to new research. A study has found that mothers-to-be who have morning sickness are 30 per cent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who do not. Dr Jo Freudenheim from the University at Buffalo in New York reported the finding this week in Boston, at the annual meeting of the Society for Epidemiologic Research.
Freudenheim and her colleagues interviewed 1001 women with recently diagnosed breast cancer, ages 35 to 79, and 1917 “control” subjects matched to the case patients by age, race and county of residence.
Jaworowicz’s research, which was presented at the Society for Epidemiologic Research’s annual meeting in Boston, Mass., found no association of other pregnancy-related medical conditions — pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes or weight gain — and breast-cancer risk.
One hormone made in the placenta has been shown in laboratory tests to be potentially protective against cancer. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) affects foetal development, and is routinely measured for pregnancy tests. Home testing kits show if higher than normal levels of hCG are present in the urine.
“Pregnancy is a time when the breast undergoes a variety of cellular and anatomical changes,” said Jaworowicz. “During this period, the breast tissue is exposed to varying levels of a number of hormones, which may affect the physiology of the breast.
“We were interested in the association between pregnancy-related events and characteristics, including pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia/eclampsia, gestational diabetes, high weight gain during pregnancy, and nausea and vomiting, because these markers may serve as proxies for underlying hormonal changes and altered hormone levels in blood and tissue.”
In contrast, pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting was associated with about a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer. Greater severity and longer duration of the symptoms reduced the risk even further.
Freudenheim cautioned, however, that this is an epidemiologic study, so the findings should not be “over-interpreted.” Confirmation of their findings, she added, will require replication in other populations.
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