A statistical study of 4,800 Swedish women under fifty years of age with breast cancer, and a control group of 47,000 women without breast cancer, showed that mothers of twins were nearly one-third less likely than other mothers to contract the disease. A 29 percent reduction in the risk of breast cancer was shown in the study.
One explanation could be the higher than normal level of pregnancy hormones to which mothers of twins are exposed. Although there is some evidence that pregnancy increases the risk of breast cancer for a time after birth, it then seems to give long-term protection. It may be that the higher hormone levels associated with twin pregnancy give extra protection.
-Professional Care of Mother & Child, Vol. 7 No. 5, 1997
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 2 Issue 1, Jan 7, 2000)
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