It’s a well-known fact that breast cancer risk?like many other diseases?surges with age. Until 25, a woman’s likelihood of getting it is close to none. At 30, your risk is .44 percent?or one in 227 women. By 40, that likelihood more than triples to 1.47 percent, or one in 68 women. Still seem pretty low" Fair enough, but after that, it increases terrifyingly fast. Here’s a less abstract number: About 246,660 women get breast cancer in the U.S. per year. Of those, 40,450 women will die as a result.
I spoke with a woman who knows firsthand how irrelevant numbers can feel when you’re a statistical outlier. Lauren Smolinski, a lingerie buyer based in Westfield, NJ, was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer at age 33. She was 31 weeks pregnant at the time. (One of the ironies of her case: Women who give birth to their first child at 35 or younger tend to get a protective benefit from pregnancy.) “I was watching TV one night and found a large lump in my left breast,” says Smolinski. “I showed it to my gynecologist at my weekly prenatal appointment and she blew it off, saying it was probably just my milk ducts growing in. I was persistent and asked her if I could get it checked out with a breast sonogram. Sure enough, I had a large tumor. The biopsy came back malignant and the diagnosis was Stage II breast cancer.”
Lesson one: Never, ever ignore a gut instinct when it comes to your health. Your body possesses wisdom ...