Mothers May Face Increased Risk of Breast Cancer

A study has found that women may be at an increased risk for developing breast cancer for years after giving birth. Per CNN, the study out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that one factor tied to higher risk for the disease is having had a child within the last decade, with the greatest potential increase seen in women who've given birth in the last five years. Researchers on the study were careful to say that the increase in risk is very minimal.

Per Medical Xpress, what the research also appears to show is that--while childbirth may lead to greater cancer risk in the short term--having had a child actually becomes a protective factor against a woman's chances of developing the disease years down the road. At about 23 years after having a child, a woman's chances of developing breast cancer appear to decrease. (Meanwhile, more pharmaceutical drugs are being recalled over potential cancer risk.)