An interview study of 1,362 breast cancer cases and 1,250 controls identified through a multi-centre screening project allowed an evaluation of reproductive determinants of breast cancer. Risk increased linearly with age at first livebirth; women with a birth after age 30 showed 4-5-fold excess risks compared to those with a birth prior to 18, while the risk for nulliparous women resembled that for women whose first birth was in their late twenties. The protection conferred by an early first pregnancy prevailed for pregnancies that ended in a livebirth or stillbirth, but not for those that terminated in other outcomes. Among parous women, a first trimester abortion prior to a livebirth was not associated with an elevated risk, except in the event of multiple miscarriages (RR = 2.2, 95% Cl 0.9-5.1). Although numbers were limited, women who reported an induced abortion in the absence of ever having a livebirth showed some elevation in risk. Age at first livebirth explained most associations, but some residual reduction in risk was noted for multiparous women and those with several births at an early age. There was evidence that delays in birth after marriage increased risk, but this did not explain the high risk associated with late age at first birth.
PIP: An interview study of 1362 breast cancer cases and controls identified through a multicenter screening project allowed an evaluation of reproductive determinants of breast cancer. Risk increased linearly with age at 1st livebirth; women with a birth after age 30 showed 4-5-fold excess risks compared to those with a birth prior to 18, while the risk for nulliparous women resembled that for women whose 1st birth was in their late 20s. The protection conferred by an early 1st pregnancy prevailed for pregnancies that ended in a livebirth or stillbirth, but not for those that terminated in other outcomes. Among parous women, a 1st trimester abortion prior to a livebirth was not associated with an elevated risk, except in the event of multiple miscarriages (RR=2.2, 95% confidence limits 0.9-5.1). Although numbers were limited, women who reported an induced abortion in the absence of ever having a livebirth showed some elevation in risk. Age at 1st livebirth explained most associations, but some residual reduction in risk was noted for multiparous women and those with several births at an early age. There was evidence that delays in birth after marriage increased risk, but this did not explain the high risk associated with late age at 1st birth.