Fish ingesting hormonal contraceptives cause breast cancer
On April 17, Scientific American reported that a study of fish caught in east coast rivers showed they “may… be carrying enough chemicals that mimic the female hormone estrogen to cause breast cancer cells to grow.”
The fish are getting estrogen from us. Researchers suggested birth control and female hormone replacement pills going into the sewer and then into our waters are at least partly to blame.
Then the fish are giving it back. One-fourth of the catfish and one-third of the white bass tested caused breast cancer cells to grow.
In 2005 the World Health Organization reclassified estrogen-progesterone birth-control pills as Group I, highly carcinogenic to breasts.
The federal government announced five years ago estrogen is a “known carcinogen” of breast tissue.
At any rate, this study showed that humans may cause fishes to cause humans to sleep with the fishes.
[Hat tip: MK; artwork via Deborah McMillion Nering]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Ugh. I hate to think about all the hormones that we take in on a daily basis.
Well, I can honestly say that when I get my future mastectomy because of breast cancer that is caused by the fish I eat from the pills I take to prevent myself from bleeding like a stuck pig every month, I won’t miss the “twins”. They cause me nothing but trouble.
I’d rather have hormones in me than a fetus. And I don’t mean that snidely…it’s the truth. Besides, without these nasty hormones, I would be worse off. Dysmenhorrhea is a real bugger.
Rae, I hope you don’t live to regret the ignorance of your words.
Rae, you are aware that breast cancer can be much more serious than just having your breasts hacked off right?
I am really irritated about how much hormones are marketed to the American people. My mother(probably the most pro-choice person alive) is very anti-hormonal birth control. I imagine alot of it has to do with the increadibly high amounts of hormones that used to be standard. Regardless, I don’t think that we should blindly accept the safety of hormonal contraceptives/hormone replacement.
@Jill and Lauren: I was being sarcastic ladies. I do know that breast cancer is VERY BAD as many of my grandmother’s sisters have it (but that’s also probably because they smoke like trains and drink like fish).
However, because of the my breast reduction surgery that I had to have last year I have to start getting mammograms this year (I’m 19) in order to monitor the differences because there are calcifications of dead fat and tissue from the surgery. So if I do get breast cancer, it’ll most likely be caught early since I have to start having mammograms so young.
Anyvay.
Ouch reduction does NOT sound fun! Glad they’re keeping a close eye on your er…development? lol.
I know you’ve probably thought through all the pro’s and con’s of hormonal bc, but if I had your family history I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole! My family history isn’t stellar, but no one has actually had breast cancer. Just alot of cysts and such. Even so, I try to do what I can to lower my risk. It’s scary how much an epidemic breast cancer has become. I’m just happy that they’re starting to stop giving cows crazy hormones.
Well see, it’s nobody directly related to me that has breast cancer, it’s my grandma’s sisters…like my great-aunts and my doctor says that they are too distantly related to really worry about breast cancer. Besides, they smoke and smoking definitely increases your chances.
My directly related family (my aunts and my mom and my grandma to a lesser extent) all had problems with overly heavy, irregular periods as well as cysts. Both my aunt and my grandma have had hysterectomies and my mom will likely have one in the future. My mom and I have both been on BC at some point to regulate our periods (my mom quit using them because they really didn’t help her much).
I understand the horrible period thing. I have endo and until about a year ago thought it was perfectly normal to need narcotics to take an edge off “cramps”. I was on BC for this when I was younger but I never noticed much of a difference.
After my son was born I was on POP(I wasn’t aware of their abortificiant aspects). After I found out about their nature, and revised my thoughts about birth control I stopped using the pills. Ever since I’ve had horrible problems with my Endo and my luteal phase has been really messed up.
Praise God, I found out yesterday that my 7dpo progesterone levels were “excelent” so I’m believing that I am healed of at least part of the dammage.
I really believe that the POP’s had something to do with worsening my Endo and lowering my overall progesterone levels.
Rae –
“because of the my breast reduction surgery ”
I’m no longer speaking to you! Me and my “never got out of training bra” twins are upset now.
;-)
I had a friend that had to have that done. I couldn’t figure out why they couldn’t just put into me what they took out of her? geesh!
On a serious note – We found out on my Mom’s autopsy report that she was in the first stages of breast cancer. She was on HRT for years. I wonder if there is a conection? I’ll have to check and see what meds she was on….
We have absolutly no medical family history on my Mom’s side of the family. So we don’t know if we are at risk or not. Reading her autopsy paniced the hell out of me and my sisters. One of my sister’s just had to have a biopsy done on some lumps (a big time joke in my family now – Her twins are even smaller than mine – my other sister and I couldn’t figure out how they could tell the difference between the boob and the lump!) everything came back negative, thank goodness.
Valerie,
Wow you fit into a training bra? The only reason I wear a bra at all is because the skin stretched after breastfeeding six kids. Not the breasts mind you, they don’t exist. Just the skin…
mk
MK –
I never knew non excistant boobs could sag to my waist. I guess it is just the skin, huh?
I actually got to a C cup after the kids. My husband was really upset when they shrunk back to negative A ….
This sounds like a problem, definitely, but more of a sanitation one than a medical one, to me. The hormones shouldnt be reaching fish. Period. If the fish are swimming in water that still has estrogen floating in it, then they are swimming in raw sewage and dish detergent, as well. Modern water treatment plants have the resources to remove hormones (female and male) from the water as well as other medicinal leftovers. I think the more immediate problem than whether you are getting breast cancer from eating too much catfish is actually why the hormones are getting into the river system to start with.
That’s really depressing…*looks at her boobs and hopes that doesn’t happen to her after babies*
*cries*
Question for you mommies out there….easy or difficult to lose weight after babies?
I personally have never exercised or dieted in my life. I was 135 when I was 21, I’m now 155 at 48, 6 kids later. I’m 5’8″. I actually didn’t put on the 20 lbs until 6 years ago after the last one. And I think that has more to do with age than childbearing.
I have no desire to look like a bulimic heroin addict, so I just eat what I want and I think I’m okay considering what I’ve carried around in this body for an accumulative 54 months…
I just don’t get the whole fixation on “perfect bodies”…
Alyssa- *I know everyone is going to hate me after this*
My boobs actually got *better* after my son was born and stopped nursing. I went from a perky C to a perky D. Of course, I might not be so lucky next time around.
As far as weight loss. I gained about 50lbs in my pregnancy because they were trying to get my little shrimp to grow. (he didn’t) Immediately after giving birth I was about 10 lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. About 2 months later I was 5lbs. It took me the entire 9 months after his birth to get all the way back to my pre-preg weight though. Overall, weightloss wasn’t too bad.
As far as stretch marks, I didn’t get any on my stomach but I did get some on my chest. They aren’t bad, and are only visible before my period.
Hope that helps :)
Mine are still a pretty firm 36C.
Yeah, my mom’s boobs got bigger after having both myself and my brother, but she didn’t breastfeed. So hers stayed big and didn’t go anywhere. Lol.
I intend to breastfeed to lose weight if possible after a baby.
And I agree, MK. I like looking healthy, I just waited too long for my boobs to show up (at 17) to want to lose them. Lol. I’m keeping my 34 C’s!!
19, 5’7 and 130 lbs. I’m happy where I’m at.
Alyssa,
Based on my own experience of carrying 3 fetii to term, breastfeeeding is what allowed me to shed those pounds the first few months postpartum. After #2 and 3 it got more challenging b/c of trying to stay on a consistent exercise schedule. Hard to do when I’m with the little ones constantly. At any rate, if you are blessed with children, I highly recommend b/feeding to activate Mother Nature’s built-in weight watcher’s plan.
No problems with bouncing back either.
Carder, I agree. My aunt lost weight quickly after breastfeeding her second child, while I know a few people who were not so lucky with the weight loss even with breastfeeding. I think the vast majority DO lose weight, however.
I don’t either MK. I have always been tall and thin my entire life. As long as I can remember,I’ve always had people tell me how “lucky” I was. Personally, I have always been envious of the voluptuous type. Men like that better anyway. I guess we always want what we can’t have.
I made myself sound 100 years old in the last post.[my entire life]LOL
SamanthaT, 1:21p, said: “This sounds like a problem, definitely, but more of a sanitation one than a medical one, to me. The hormones shouldnt be reaching fish.”
Samantha, these hormones are going through women first via birth control and hormone replacement therapy, and causing breast cancer by so doing. That these are strong enough to cause breast cancer during a second pass is double sobering. This is first and foremost a medical problem.
As for water sanitation, I’m not sure this from the article will help clarify but here ’tis:
“‘Fish are really a sentinel, just like canaries in the coal mine 100 years ago,’ says Conrad Volz, co-director of exposure assessment at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Center for Environmental Ecology. ‘We need to pay attention to chemicals that are estrogenic in nature, because they find their way back into the water we all use.'”
I’m with Rae on this one. I’d rather have breast cancer than a fetus. Breast cysts run on my mom’s side of the family via my grandmother, but she also smokes something like five packs a day.
All in all, I love my birth control pill. It keeps me nice and sane before my period, helps the cramps, clears up my complexion, and makes me regular: not to mention the fact that it keeps me fetus-free. I do the self-exams and vist my ob/gyn regularly, and I’m very aware of what I put in my body and the risks, as well as any changes that might occur. Hopefully, I’ll be able to switch to nuva-ring this summer, and I believe the instance of breast cancer is far lower in that form of birth control than others.
Thanks, Ms. Jill, for that. Im an eco freak.
Less, I hear that the Nuvaring is amazing!! I want to switch, but I’ll wait til after my next exam. :D
Alyssa, I’m not sure I’ll be able to do it, as I have to have pretty specific hormones to keep me from going bonkers. I sure hope I can! Plus, I hear it’s hardcore cheaper and actually more effective. :)
That’s really depressing…*looks at her boobs and hopes that doesn’t happen to her after babies*
*cries*
Posted by: Alyssa at May 3, 2007 01:22 PM
Alyssa, if you wear a good bra all the time, you should not have a problem. I haven’t had a problem and I breastfed all of mine.
Question for you mommies out there….easy or difficult to lose weight after babies?
It depends on how much you gain while pregnant. My first time, I gained 60 pounds because I ate too much and drank way too much milk. It took me about a year to get rid of the excess weight.
I was 118 pounds before I got pregnant, then I was 178 right before having the baby, then went down to 168 after he was born.
I dropped back down to 120 then got pregnant with my second baby, gained only 25 pounds, and lost it within just a few short months.
With my third baby, I gained only 25 pounds again, and lost it very, very quickly….I was wearing my pre-pregnancy pants after a month.
:)
Jill, wow, that is really freaky.
Miss Samantha, thanks! MK found it, though.
Bethany, I agree. This helps demonstrate how powerful synthetic estrogen is.