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Pregnancy duration and breast cancer risk

Author

Listed:
  • Anders Husby

    (Statens Serum Institut
    Stanford University School of Medicine)

  • Jan Wohlfahrt

    (Statens Serum Institut)

  • Nina Øyen

    (Statens Serum Institut
    Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen
    Haukeland University Hospital)

  • Mads Melbye

    (Statens Serum Institut
    University of Copenhagen
    Stanford University School of Medicine)

Abstract

Full-term pregnancies reduce a woman’s long-term breast cancer risk, while abortions have been shown to have no effect. The precise minimal duration of pregnancy necessary to lower a woman’s breast cancer risk is, however, unknown. Here we provide evidence which point to the protective effect of pregnancy on breast cancer risk arising precisely at the 34th pregnancy week. Using a cohort of 2.3 million Danish women, we found the reduction in breast cancer risk was not observed for pregnancies lasting 33 weeks or less, but restricted to those pregnancies lasting 34 weeks or longer. We further found that parity, socioeconomic status, and vital status of the child at birth did not explain the association, and also replicated our finding in data from 1.6 million women in Norway. We suggest that a distinct biological effect introduced around week 34 of pregnancy holds the key to understand pregnancy-associated breast cancer protection.

Suggested Citation

  • Anders Husby & Jan Wohlfahrt & Nina Øyen & Mads Melbye, 2018. "Pregnancy duration and breast cancer risk," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-06748-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06748-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Øystein Kravdal, 2021. "Sex Differences in Childlessness in Norway: Identification of Underlying Demographic Drivers," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 37(4), pages 1023-1041, November.

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