January 1995
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A major influence on a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer is the length of her fertile life and her record of childbearing. Increased risk is associated with either having had no children, or else with delay of the first childbirth until after the age of 25. Risk is also increased if a woman shows evidence of prolonged ovarian activity, such as onset of menstruation at a relatively early age (before 12 in Western countries) or delayed onset of menopause (after 49). These are the classic risk indicators. Recent evidence shows that a woman’s breast cancer risk is influenced also by the age at which she has subsequent children after the first, by her total number of children and the length of time for which she breast-feeds her babies [1].