Breast cancer. A woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is related to her cumulative exposure to estrogen, as well as her breasts’ sensitivity to the hormone. For example, women who started menstruating before the age of 12, as well as those who reached menopause after 55, have about a 50 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer than women whose periods started later or who hit menopause earlier. Women who have never been pregnant or who first became pregnant after 30 are also at increased risk, as are women who are overweight. If your mother or sister was diagnosed with breast cancer before menopause, you may also be more vulnerable. Most doctors urge women to begin getting yearly mammograms in their 40s, partly because breasts become less dense as estrogen and progesterone levels fall. That makes it easier to detect abnormalities. You should also be aware of any changes in your breasts that you can see or feel such as lumps, dimpling or redness.
Endometrial cancer. Estrogen encourages growth of the uterine lining, called the endometrium, and progesterone prompts the body to slough off this buildup, a process you naturally experience as a menstrual period. If you’re postmenopausal and taking estrogen to treat hot flashes, you need to add enough progesterone to ensure that your uterine lining doesn’t become overgrown and ripe for cancer growth. Any type of vaginal bleeding that occurs after menopause may be a warning sign of endometrial cancer, so if you’re spotting, report it immediately to your doctor. Other symptoms include a clear or pinkish watery discharge and pain during intercourse. Pay attention to these potential signs of trouble, because there is no screening test for endometrial cancer.
Lung cancer. Lung cancer kills more women than any other type of cancer, and there’s some evidence that estrogen may accelerate tumor growth. One recent study found that women with lung cancer who used hormone therapy did not live as long as women who had never used it. Preliminary research also indicates that women who reach menopause prematurely (before the age of 40) tend to be at lower risk for lung cancer. Smoking is involved in about 80 percent of the lung cancer diagnosed in women, so the best thing you can do to protect yourself against it is to stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. If you’ve tried to stop before and failed, your life may depend on your trying again. There is no screening test that’s the equivalent of a mammogram for the lungs. A variety of visualizing technologies have been studied, but so far none has proved effective in reducing mortality, and so far, none has been studied in women. In the absence of better tests, you should know the symptoms of lung cancer: a persistent cough, breathing problems, chest pain that doesn’t go away and coughing up blood-streaked or pus-colored mucus.
Ovarian cancer. About the only good thing you can say about ovarian cancer is that it’s rare. Even so, it’s the second most common type of cancer found in the female reproductive system. But there is some hope. Prevalence has declined since 1990, and more survivors are living longer with better treatments. Not much is known about risk factors for the disease, although there is evidence of a genetic vulnerability in some cases. Because there’s no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer, the disease is often not diagnosed until it’s at an advanced stage. Most of the time, women experiencing the symptoms of ovarian cancer do not have the disease, but you shouldn’t ignore any of the following: abdominal, intestinal or pelvic pain that doesn’t get better; constant bloating; digestive problems that won’t go away, and back pain or pain during intercourse.
