Julia Bradbury worries that having children after age 40 increased her risk of breast cancer

metro.co.uk:

Julia Bradbury has spoken on her fears that having children later down the line increased her risk of breast cancer.The presenter, 52, announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in September last year, before undergoing a mastectomy one month later to have a 6cm tumour removed.Julia has been incredibly open about her experiences and fronted an ITV documentary about her battle with breast cancer, entitled Julia Bradbury: Breast Cancer and Me.The TV star was over the age of 40 when she had her kids – Zephyr, 11, and twins Xanthe and Zena, seven – with her twin daughters being born following five rounds of IVF with her husband.Julia and husband Gerard Cunningham went down the IVF path after she sought treatment for endometriosis, which can affect fertility.Despite the pride she feels about being a slightly older mother, Julia has shared her concerns that this was a contributing factor to her breast cancer.She told The Sun: ‘I love motherhood and I think there are certain life skills you have more experience with when you’re older.‘But if you have your children later in life, that increases your risk of breast cancer, so does being a tall woman, as does being extensively on the Pill.’According to the NHS, having children or having children later in life may ‘slightly increase’ your risk of developing breast cancer because ‘your exposure to oestrogen is not interrupted by pregnancy.’BreastCancer.org also explain that breast cancer risk reduction from pregnancy doesn’t kick in until about 20 years after a woman’s last pregnancy.They detail a study which found that women younger than 55 who had a full-term pregnancy had a slightly higher risk of developing breast cancer during the study.Taking the combined contraceptive.