My Article Is Live

I will write more later. Right now, I wanted to share a link to an article I wrote on endometrial cancer. The article is now live on spryliving.com. Here is the link: http://spryliving.com/articles/the-obesity-endometrial-cancer-connection/.

Some have taken issue with the focus on obesity in this story. Obesity is but one risk factor for developing endometrial cancer. However, recent research at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston shows that fat women have a nine to 10 percent lifetime risk of developing endometrial cancer, unlike their leaner counterparts who have a three percent lifetime risk of developing endometrial cancer. Epidemiologic studies show obesity is strongly correlated with an increased risk of developing endometrial cancer. Literature reviews conducted by the American Institute for Cancer Research and World Cancer Research Fund confirm the evidence linking body mass index and cancer is strongest for endometrial cancer. Adipose (fat) tissue stimulates the excess production of estrogen and researchers believe this is a major risk factor for developing endometrial cancer.

The causes of endometrial cancer are still unknown. Young or old, lean or fat, women are at risk. Women need to understand the risks and need to take steps to minimize their risk of developing endometrial cancer. If losing weight and making lifestyle changes can save your life, don’t you owe it to yourself to make changes in your life. Otherwise, the cancer club can always use another member to replace one of the more than 8,000 women who will die from endometrial cancer this year. The choice is yours.

I am overweight. MY body mass index, or BMI, places me in the morbidly obese category. I wasn’t always heavy. I started piling on the pounds after I broke up with my first fiancé. What is surprising is that I do triathlons, I lift weights, I hike, I go caving, I backpack, I kayak. To look at me, you would not guess I weighed 242 pounds. I don’t want to go into surgery this heavy so I have joined Gold’s Gym. This was my wakeup call that my weight has spiraled out of control.

I only have myself to blame for my weight issues. I am responsible for what I put in my mouth and the quantity of food that I eat. What it comes down to for me is mindless eating. I am not an emotional eater. When I am angry, sad, lonely, I work out. When my parents had cancer, I would go to the pool and swim laps and take my frustrations out that way. Women who are fat have only themselves to blame. We make our own decisions. We victimize ourselves. Obesity is on the rise in this country and women don’t realize its dangers. Call it harsh. Call it blaming the victim. Nobody put a gun to my head and told me to take another bite; I made my own choices.

Yes. Making lifestyle changes is not easy. Choosing to eat healthy vs. choosing to eat junk food. Choosing to exercise vs. sitting on the couch and watching TV. But when it boils down to my life or enjoying another bite of chocolate, I’ll choose my life any day.

Please feel free to comment and share your stories. This blog is an open forum for all women dealing with endometrial cancer and men who have someone in their life who has been touched with endometrial cancer.

Your Uterus Will Thank You

When I see a fat woman, I want to grab her and shake her. Doesn’t she know that being fat puts her at risk not only for developing endometrial cancer but cancer of the breast, colon and rectum, esophagus, gallbladder, kidney, pancreas and thyroid? Fat kills.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 41 million women in this country are fat. While fat people know being overweight puts them at increased risk for developing coronary heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure, no one tells them fat causes cancer. I didn’t know this.

Adults age 20 and older with a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9 are overweight while those with a BMI of 30.0 and above are obese, according to guidelines established by the National Institutes of Health. To calculate your BMI, divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute has a BMI calculator. When I plugged in my numbers, my BMI was 37.1, placing me squarely in the obese category. Do I like my number? No.

When I was diagnosed with complex hyperplasia without atypia, which is a precursor to endometrial cancer, I weighed 240 pounds. I didn’t consider myself fat. I was very active. I did triathlons. I worked out in the gym. I lifted weights. I ran stairs. I did not look like a 240 pound fat woman. I knew I was overweight and could lose a few pounds but I did not consider myself morbidly obese.

The first thing my gynecologist told me was lose 20 pounds. She was the first doctor who told me being fat put me at risk for endometrial cancer. When I interviewed women for a story on endometrial cancer, they told me that not one doctor had ever told them this. Why? Doctors do women a big disservice.

Endometrial cancer is preventable; yet it is becoming increasingly more prevalent because of rising obesity rates. Fifty thousand new cases will be diagnosed in the United States this year. 50,000. More than 8,000 will die from it. 8,000. Sobering numbers.

Women have a 2.5 to 3 percent risk of developing endometrial cancer. While endometrial cancer is commonly diagnosed in post-menopausal women over age 60, physicians are seeing it in more patients in their 20s and 30s. Twenty-five percent of endometrial cancers are diagnosed in pre-menopausal women, said one gynecologist I spoke to for the story.

Women need to wake up and realize fat is not where it’s at. Making lifestyle changes – changing your diet and exercising more – has a huge impact on your health. Researchers are finding lifestyle changes decreases a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer. Lifestyle changes may even prevent endometrial cancer.

I am taking control. I am training for the Lincoln Presidential Half Marathon in April and plan to do several short triathlons this year. I am back in the gym. I am doing this despite the fact that my knees are shot. I have torn meniscus in both and no cartilage in one. When I run, it feels like I’m running on ground glass. I am lifting weights again.

I got lazy this winter. The cold and snow made it difficult to get out. My knees swelled and ached. I have also discovered how good it feels to move. Movement is pleasure and brings its own rewards. I am working on it. My health is more important to me than grabbing one more cookie or scarfing down a bag of chips. I don’t want to die yet.

If I do anything else with these posts, I want to raise awareness about the link between obesity and endometrial cancer. Women need to know this. It’s your body. Your uterus will thank you for it.

Talk to me.