On Monday, November 6th, our Her Campus chapter held a virtual workshop with Taylor Duncan from Bright Pink to lead an interactive and informational session about breast and ovarian health and cancer warning signs. Taylor, a nurse and current graduate student at Georgetown University, volunteers to lead workshops like this one because she wants all women, especially young women, to live their lives “Bright Pink.”
So, what is Bright Pink? Bright Pink is an amazing organization that saves women’s lives from breast and ovarian cancer by empowering them to live proactively at a young age.
How can you be Bright Pink? Here’s what you need to know:
Prevalence – 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer in their life and 1 in 75 women will develop ovarian cancer in their life.
Symptoms – Symptoms of breast cancer are warmth or redness, swelling, rash, and bumps – 80% of bumps are not cancerous! Symptoms of ovarian cancer include pelvic or abdominal pain, bloating, and urinating frequently. The symptoms of ovarian cancer are very common – I’m sure every single one of us have felt at least one of these symptoms before – and that’s why it’s very hard to detect early-on. *That’s why it’s so important to ‘Know Your Normal!’ And to take these steps to reduce your risk for both breast and ovarian cancer.
Reduce Your Risk – To reduce your risk for breast cancer, try to maintain a healthy BMI, keep a low-fat diet, stick to one serving of red meat per day, and stick to one serving of alcohol per day. To reduce your risk for ovarian cancer, if you are a smoker: smoking doubles your risk of ovarian cancer so try to commit to quitting, 5 years on the birth control pill will decrease ovarian cancer risk by 50%, and intake of Vitamin D (sun exposure, eating eggs, drinking milk) reduces breast and ovarian cancer risk. You can also check out the many resources on the Bright Pink website that help you to define which risk group you fall into.
Visit Your Healthcare Provider – You should see you doctor, even when you feel healthy! Begin mammograms at age 40, or if your mom, sister or aunt had breast cancer, 10 years prior to her age at diagnosis.
Questions to Ask Yourself and/or Your Healthcare Provider:
1.) What factors are increasing my risk of breast and ovarian cancer?
2.) I’d like to put together a risk-reduction and screening plan that’s appropriate for my personal level or risk. What should it include?
3.) What lifestyles changes can I make to reduce my risk for developing breast and ovarian cancer?
Bright Pink is on a mission to save women’s lives from breast and ovarian cancer. It’s important to know your normal and to recognize when something isn’t right. Even if you have the smallest concern, talk to your healthcare provider and get it checked out. Thank you to everyone who came to the virtual workshop and to everyone who took the time to read this article; let’s make a commitment to live our lives Bright Pink!