Cancer Prevention: Breastfeed your babies not men – Expert warns women

Mrs Abigael Shona, a medical expert, has peculiarly stated that breastfeeding a baby and not men could prevent breast cancer in women.

Shona spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Ilorin and said that contrary to popular belief that men sucking their wife’s breasts could prevent breast cancer, it could only help detect it.

She said mothers who breastfeed lower their risk of pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer.

“Most women who breastfeed experience hormonal changes during lactation that delay their menstrual periods.

“This reduces a woman’s lifetime exposure to hormones like estrogen, which can promote breast cancer cell growth.

“And what sucking the breast by a man can only do is to detect breast cancer by feeling the lumps early enough so as to seek medical help,” Shona said.

She, however, said it was encouraged that women allow their spouses to massage and handle their breasts to detect cancer early.

“We are encouraging women not to deprive their husbands from the pleasure of breast sucking and handling as it will also be beneficial to them.

“This is because in as much as we preach self examination by women for early detection, most women don’t do it.

“So, if they allow their husbands help them with it, it will help a lot because early detection is the major panacea to address the scourge.

“If breast cancer is detected early before it gets to an advanced stage, it could be survived,” Shona said.

The medical expert, however, noted that men can also have breast cancer, advising them to also be on the look out.