Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding your child, or children, slightly reduces your risk of breast cancer.

To give you an idea of how much it reduces risk, let’s take two groups of 1,000 women. Imagine that the 1,000 women in one group have never breastfed and the 1,000 women in the other group have each breastfed for a total of about 5 months. In the group that have breastfed, about two or three fewer women will develop breast cancer.

The longer you breastfeed for in total, the more your risk of breast cancer is reduced. Breastfeeding one child for one year would lower your risk of breast cancer as much as breastfeeding two children for six months each.

National health guidelines recommend that women breastfeed for the first six months of an infant's life as it provides all the nutrients a baby needs.

There are many important benefits associated with breastfeeding for both mother and child, but the decision to breastfeed needs to be a personal one. Not all women choose to breastfeed or are able.

Breastfeeding women should examine their breasts for any unusual changes. It is common for breasts to be lumpy during breastfeeding, but if you notice anything unusual or have any concerns, talk to your GP.

For more information, see our factsheet Breastfeeding and breast cancer risk: The Facts (742 kb)

For general information and advice on breastfeeding, visit the NHS Choices website.

Information last reviewed: 4 July 2011