How to lower your risk of breast cancer

Keep a healthy weight, especially after menopause. Stay active: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. Avoid alcohol, or keep it low. Do not smoke, and avoid second-hand smoke. Breastfeed for longer where you can. Know your family history and share it with a clinician. Go for clinical breast exams and mammograms on schedule, because screening finds cancer early rather than stopping it.

Not always. Some risk factors, such as age and family history, cannot be changed, so finding problems early through checks matters as much as healthy habits.

Being a woman and getting older. A mother, sister or daughter who had breast or ovarian cancer, especially young. Inherited gene changes such as BRCA1, BRCA2 or PALB2. Radiotherapy to the chest at a young age. First period at a young age, late menopause, or a first child late or not at all.

Signs worth checking include a lump or thickening in the breast or armpit, which often does not hurt; a change in the size or shape of the breast; dimpling, redness or pitting of the skin, like orange peel; and a change in the nipple or the skin around it, including a nipple that turns inward.

Knowing your own risk factors is the first step. The breast cancer risk assessment asks about 40 questions: family history (including male relatives and the age they were diagnosed), BRCA results, breast density, reproductive history, hormone use and lifestyle. Any warning sign brings up a red Symptom Alert, and it works out when your next clinical breast exam or mammogram is due under Kenya's guidelines. It costs KES 300. A care navigator calls you back within 2 hours (Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm) to book what you need at a facility that suits your budget and location.