Breast Cancer gets Worse in the Spring and Fall. But...Why?

Seasonal illnesses from infectious diseases aren’t a new concept, but a few decades ago public health experts began to notice the same behavior in some non-infectious diseases like breast cancer. These patterns have helped us learn a lot about how our bodies interact with the environment.
Hosted by: Rose Bear Don't Walk
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Sources:
Skin Cancer
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
www.hindawi.co...
www.who.int/uv...
academic.oup.c...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
doi.org/10.109...
Heart Disease
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
doi.org/10.103...
www.ahajournal...
www.ahajournal...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
Breast Cancer
link.springer....
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
www.nejm.org/d...
pubmed.ncbi.nl...
www.ncbi.nlm.n...
doi.org/10.126...
dx.doi.org/10.1...
www.nature.com...
onlinelibrary....
Image Sources:
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[@OneBentMonkey]

It’s always such a pleasure watching the evolution of a new presenter on this channel as they find their “voice” and get more comfortable and confident in their abilities

[@willmcconnell6008]

This is really interesting! Looking forward to where these findings go in the future

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

funny... i see it as unfounded theory, anyway impossible to prove scientifically, with very little useful outcome as if we don't already know how seasons affecting us... so... a waste of ressouces, time and money... pretty much stepping back in the 1970 when anything coming from a science journal was considered as progress...

[@willmcconnell6008]

@@joseph-mariopelerin7028 it's a correlation though and I think that it's interesting. Even if it's proven wrong that's still valuable information to know that for sure these things have absolutely no influence on each other.

[@zes3813]

wrrrr

[@robinhahnsopran]

Hurray for Rose, once again absolutely KILLING the SciShow game (while always wearing the 100% best earrings on the internet)! Just so good!

[@noxabellus]

I've never seen her before but she is absolutely killing it

[@drawingboard82]

She is one of my three favorite presenters on youtube. I think she is excellent.

[@marc-andreservant201]

Hey, we made progress. There used to be a polio season and a measles season.

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

that's progress???

[@SaraWolffs]

Measles season might end up coming back. Get your shots, kids.

[@chickenalpaca0332]

@@joseph-mariopelerin7028 Yeah...would you rather we didn't make any progress in medicine and still have a polio season?

[@nickromo8195]

@@joseph-mariopelerin7028 what in the world would you call it?...

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

I would call that nothing... tomorrow morning can be a variant of the polio spreading just like covid...

[@ananyaravikumar5069]

SciShow: Making me curious about phenomena I’ve never heard of one video at a time.

[@stax6092]

I'd imagine the incresed risk of Arterial Disease is largely a matter of becoming more Sedentary during the winter as well.

[@StretchyDeath]

High blood pressure is mostly a chronic risk anyway. Exposure to high blood pressure alone isn't a problem for most people... It's high blood pressure *over time*. In this environment, it's more likely for LDL particles to embed in the walls of your blood vessels. That's how clots get started. Speculation time! The constriction of the blood vessels might have a more direct effect: making clots more likely to cause significant blockage.

[@alexisasheep6554]

me, an insomniac with generational history of breast cancer: 👁️👄👁️

[@Westerlywick]

Hey, if it helps at all, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019 at age 31 because of the BRCA2 mutation. It's not necessarily the death sentence it once was. I wouldn't wish what I've been through on anyone, but cancer is just a part of my life now, not the only thing my life is about. If you do end up with breast cancer, try not to go down a spiral of despair. There's hope, and the treatment is getting better and better every year. The fact that you know you are high risk hopefully means if you ever get it, you will have been looking for it and identify it early when it's not as advanced as some people find it. good luck, and have hope!

[@alexisasheep6554]

@@Westerlywick thanks, yeah my mom got it when I was a kid. I'm also at risk for ovarian cancer too so whenever possible I hope to have regular check ups just in case

[@alexisasheep6554]

@@melanieortiz712 I'm glad you got through it

[@shannonlove4328]

Do these patterns occur in equatorial regions that have wet and dry seasons and very little variation in sunlight?

[@GandalfTheTsaagan]

That would be helpful to research

[@lordgarion514]

Doubt anyone knows, and It'll probably be years, or even decades before anyone finds out. Not a lot of money for science in the countries around the equator.

[@joanhoffman3702]

That is an excellent question. I wish I had an answer for you. Please keep asking questions!

[@KravchenkoAudioPerth]

Quit asking thoughtful questions. What I take from this video and their mentioning meta analysis methods is that there is no mention of the means and methods used in this analysis. ( Not necessary for the video I understand. But cause and effect are not always clear in a complex system like a human being. And the basic questions used to to the analysis itself can skew the results if that is intended or even not intended.

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

you gotta be naïve to believe this theory.... the kind of thinking that usually stay within the lab rat because it have no scientific proof whatsoever...and they all end up on YT as it was the discovery of the century... yet, whatever peoples subscribe to

[@MariosGiannakouliasyesitsme]

There is always the possibility that this ''correlation'' has more to do with detection.. women are more likely to check their breasts on spring time when they get ready to buy new clothes (this apply also to fall since they are picking new clothes for winter) and go to holidays and has nothing to do with causation... it would be interesting to see these statistics and how they moved in 2020 since most of us didn't go on vacations.

[@dereklam1225]

It would be interesting to see the total number of diagnoses and the positivity rate over the year to address this possibility.

[@MrLisarn2]

I agree, and also October is breast cancer awareness. Most of the women in my circle get their mammograms then. Our hospitals offer lower rates during that month. I agree that it could possibly be more related to detection.

[@EnigmaticLucas]

No need for the quotation marks since correlation does not imply causation

[@lordgarion514]

Maybe, but there's probably a bit more to it than that. Remember, survival rate varies by when it was detected as well.

[@lordgarion514]

Oh, and 2020 is probably going to increase breast cancer. Sitting more than 6 hours a day increases your odds of cancer more than smoking does. Different cancers of course. For men it's mostly colon cancer, but women also have increased breast and endometrial. And people have done a lot more sitting than is average for them.

[@ikarienator]

The reason more people is diagnosed with skin cancer in the summer is probably because more skin is exposed and people have more chance of realizing it.

[@hiericas]

I was thinking that too. Maybe someone at the BBQ notices a weird mole on your back that you wouldn't have noticed at a winter party with more clothes on.

[@Snowshowslow]

I thought that too but the solar cycle thing does sort of suggest that's not the whole picture.

[@ikarienator]

@@Snowshowslow It is pretty natural to assume that more UV would cause more skin cancers. But just having more people diagnosed with skin cancer in the summer is not a good evidence for that.

[@Snowshowslow]

@@ikarienator Nope, I agree this point was underexplained or potentially not backed up sufficiently. Although I think the former, because it's a pretty obvious confounder to take into account.

[@ikarienator]

@@Snowshowslow I think there are enough evidence in the literature for the effect. But there is more to the process/argument than the conclusion.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Very interesting, informative and worthwhile video. Many thanks for the links to the references.

[@EliSantana]

The host is making me want to visit Montana again. I met and interacted with several Native Americans while hiking on beautiful reservation land and I've been yearning to see those beautiful mountains again.

[@Tayl0r_]

Holy cow! Im showing this video to my mom. She’s not super into science stuff like my dad was, and I am, but this could really help her once she goes in for cancer screenings. Thank you SciShow!! You never fail to amaze me :)

[@deathrobloxian]

Huh who knew that cancer can be seasonal. Very intriguing.

[@pierreabbat6157]

Is capricorn also seasonal?

[@joseph-mariopelerin7028]

its a theory from the 1960s ffs.... unfounded! if you stop being enchanted by the layout of the video...

[@JM1993951]

I love the channel and the commenters that it draws. Never any hostility because any science deniers are either deterred by the science or ignored/down voted into comment oblivion.

[@jameswright6316]

Pollen Pollen is usually high in iron content. Look at hemochromatosis to see the interaction with the metabolism. I personally have controlled for variables such as diet and exercise. My Ferritin level jumps every spring. After seeing that correlation, I went to an allergist. I am allergic to Elm which is very active in the spring. Having an allergy means that the immune system is sensitive to the allergen. Every given week of every year sees our bodies readjust to the new botanical output. Vaccination Theory. Further, before I began therapeutic phlebotomy for my HH, I suffered what many call a chronic appendicitis. With iron level control - the chronic appendicitis went away. HH is also known as the "bronzing disease" because some of us who have it actually turn a bronze color with too much exposure to water. That means there is a link between HH and skin health. Iron - Vitamin D metabolism - Breast health etc. My point is that when one sees a seasonal pattern - maybe they should look to the seasonality of our environment? However, that won't happen. The book on HH - written by the Iron Disorders Institute - actually has a chapter about how difficult it is to get doctors to educate themselves - even when they are given a free book about the issue !

[@evanrigel954]

i dont suppose it could be some sort of societal link? like maybe ads to get a mammogram are aired during spring/autumn?

[@invisibleninja86]

Fewer holidays/vacations during those times, so it’s more convenient for people to get in for an appointment?

[@healinggrounds19]

October is breast cancer awareness month.

[@IIARROWS]

@@healinggrounds19 *sad trombone*

[@unoriginal1086]

@@healinggrounds19 i mean that might make sense if it was only fall, but its spring and fall so idk.

[@paulrector3299]

Could align with people's medical insurance, we've used enough of it by a certain point in the yearly cycle that we try to wedge in the "extra" things after our out of pocket max is reached. Different companies/industries have different annual cycles, teachers are typically July 1, some are January 1, so a few months in/limit reached might make that spring/fall?

[@TheBlackwoolf]

Fascinating video! Never thought about this before

[@BRUXXUS]

I have ulcerative colitis (I believe Hank does too), and it also tends to have a seasonal swing. It's related to sun and vitamin D in my experience. In 2019 I started taking a sort of high daily dose of vitamin D, and within a month my UC *completely* went away. Like... no more Humira... no more other treatments. It's bonkers how important vitamin D is.

[@aelurine]

Recently depression/stress and the gut had been found to have a very strong link (after all, your testiness are basically your second brain) unfortunately after my UC was getting more and more of a nuisance i kinda stopped going outside so I have been deficienct in vit D for about a decade. I'm wondering now if it's becoming a cycle, where to break it and have the uc be more manageable, i need to go out in the sun/get vit d

[@greenhaloxbox3850]

It could also be that as spring comes around people tend to show more skin and also notice more about their body thus the spring increases in diagnosis and for the fall there is a noticeable increase in seasonal checkups heading towards winter cold and flu season. So i would think it might just be that we're only finding more cases not soo much that there are more cases to find?

[@everythingschoolnevertaugh1386]

I wonder what being cooped up for a whole year does to ones health and the seasonal correlations.

[@MisterK9739]

flu cases have been lower than ever, even tho the seasonal flu high has already passed.. so when we´re talking about infectious diseases, the hygiene measures and masks help a lot. Also, nobody has been "cooped up" for over a year. But if you wanna know, maybe visit any prison in your local area and talk to some long term inmates. Because unlike you they have actually been cooped up for years. But nobody ever talked about negative eddects on their health... but when people are supposed to stay inside for a month suddenly it´s a death sentence

[@phineasfaber5159]

For breast cancer and Vitamin D link. Could you do a latitude study? Checking rates among different skin shades? Maybe find rates from areas with high vitamin D diets such as fish based to low vitamin D areas/diets at similiar latitudes and insolation? What about office workers vs women who are more likely to be outside?

[@crybebebunny]

Very interesting.

[@Im_a_Bananatree]

Ah it's that time of the year again 😕

[@tavdy79]

Another pattern worth noting: it's long been known that in areas with temperate climates seasonal depression peaks in winter. Vitamin D deficiency caused by a lack of sunlight plays an important role, however that's not the whole story. Depression can also be triggered by cytokines, the chemicals released by the body as part of an immune response to certain viruses such as most types of influenza, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. This means the annual cold and flu season also influences the seasonal spike in depression. It also explains why there is a second smaller spike in late spring to early summer: this is the time when pollen counts are highest, and pollen allergies also trigger the release of cytokines.

[@arnoldstrickland2814]

Thanks for the info !

[@MarieAxelsson]

That was fascinating!

[@KalRandom]

Sunlight is also the best source of vitamin D, that is crucial to the body. No Vitamin D then no immune system among other things. The detection times could also be the seasonal wardrobe changes, when there is more attention being paid. Correlation doesn't mean causation.

[@JacquelineDGreen]

Love the new host!

[@mikestewart7338]

She’s great!

[@TheFourthWinchester]

She's not new. She's been here for months.

[@LeonidasSthlm]

Great video!

[@marianpizeno8511]

Found out I had breast cancer 2 weeks after my 31st birthday... March 2017. PLEASE do your monthly self exams! Cancer does NOT discriminate!!!

[@SlimThrull]

1:25 Unlikely. Since it takes years and decades of damage from UV radiation to do enough damage to cause cancer, it's highly unlikely that there are more skin cancer cases in the summer. However, they are probably more likely to be detected in the summer. People wear less clothing and are around other people more frequently. This makes skin lesions easier to see and are more likely to be pointed out. The other thing against this idea is that it takes time for cancer to develop. It isn't like you get exposed to UV light and you get a tumor the next day. Tumors take time to grow. The sun emitting more UV is certainly a cause of cancer, but it doesn't do it so soon.

[@georgigeorgiev4871]

Rose stylish as ever!

[@imjyun]

Its funny i find that all the scishow hosts talk in the same tone, with the same accent,facial expression and little things like pauses and stuff, makes me wonder if they jz replace the face on a base human model xD

[@karenl6908]

I like this host! She's good. Her voice is nice, and her skin looks good.

[@abyssalzei552]

People be eating 13 servings of carbs in Christmas and they're wandering why there's a spike in CADs

[@Kobolds_in_a_trenchcoat]

computer assisted designs?

[@Bbonno]

The hosts name has a style unfamiliar to me and managed to confuse me a lot. Some googling later I realise that it's easily read like a Crash Blossom (look it up) if you aren't used to names of this style: first name "Rose Bear" (never heard of one, but sounds cute), last name "Don't Walk" (a statement for a name!???). Turns out she probably goes by Rose, and lots people have "Bear Don't Walk" as a family name. Learned something today :)

[@KWifler]

Native? OMG You were not joking! I'm so curious now. Could it have been from a coming of age ritual involving hallucinogenic substances with visions and deep insights and self discovery?

[@Bbonno]

@@KWifler If so the name has been locked in as a 'simple' family name now, as there are a number of people who seem to have it. This could be a relation of Rose's, but it doesn't say... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marjorie_Bear_Don't_Walk Apparently names like this used to be earned and change when applicable, so maybe "Bear Don't Walk" should be seem as similar to Sitting Bull. Or maybe Running Bear hurt a leg and it never properly healed making him a reluctant walker, add some difficulty in translating and you have Bear Don't Walk... My understanding is insufficient to even find good sources on this, so I'm all ears if somebody knows more.

[@IIARROWS]

When you have to record a SciShow episode, but you have a special night with your relevant other in 10 minutes.

[@AlbertScoot]

Wasn't there a correlation found about vitamin D in covid patients too?

[@TheSimba86]

My doctor told me that

[@Fists91]

Vitamin D levels are correlated with just about everything, since Vitamin D production is dependent on lifestyle very few of the correlations have actually been proven useful when supplementation is trialed though. It's a bit of a boy who cried wolf situation in medical science.

[@daisuke910]

@@Fists91 true. Vitamin D modulates immune system. There is no one thing that fits all (just vitamin D). Usually when people get a good does of vitamin D is through sunlight exposure. Which is through exercise or daily brisk walks. Moving around increases our immune activity. It all synergistic. If you just eat vitamin D supplement and be a couch potato, it just amount to nothing.

[@ThatFuckinGame]

@@daisuke910 Vitamin D has preventative effects demonstrated on covid, PREVENTATIVE, wich means it doesn`t fix the disease once its inside. a lot of this Double blind studies are very flawed with their methods and conclusions.

[@Gaaraape]

That's weird, isn't cold conditions supposed to stimulate more thyroid production? That's literally what it says in my medical physiology textbook

[@davetoms1]

Great video as always! Wondering how much the spike in cancer diagnoses in the summer is due to people noticing their own bodies more closely as bikini season starts... 🤔

[@359339]

How does the breast cancer diagnoses compare to the number of doctor's appointments that women and other people susceptible make through the year? I can imagine mothers in charge of child care during summer and winter vacation wouldn't be as able to make time for a check-up.

[@Slithy]

Moral of the story: we need to up our cold time booba kneading game to help early detection rates

[@technowiz1653]

Wow that's an apt title for my autobiography

[@naturesfinest2408]

How does melatonin protect us during the winter?

[@h7opolo]

she makes my dopamine levels rise.

[@AThirstyPhilosopher]

Love this presenter!

[@haberschnack]

Okay, I found my breast cancer tumor in late oktober 18 and I was vitamin D deficent... weird

[@commanderwaddles3483]

Ohhh boyyy, here come the astrology folk 😬 Edit: happy to see people distinguishing differences between correlation & causation and theorizing possible causes for this correlation 😁

[@KonekoNaru]

Sun: will give you some cancers and protect you from others. Choose your fate. Me: takes my vitamin d supplement and stays inside

[@justinfowler2857]

Fall and spring are times when crops are heavily sprayed with pesticides and insecticides.

[@vanlannon7815]

I was diagnosed in the spring of last year. It was when I was most stressed from work. Maybe it has to do with stress levels?

[@unoriginal1086]

it could be because summer is warm and all and winter has lots of holidays, and i am not in work yet (im at school) but at school we usually have the most work in late spring and late autumn.

[@norikadolmy7274]

Really interesting.. Been noticing during quarantine how I can more or less chart my hormone levels fluctuating as my mood and energy levels change throughout the day and in response to weather changes (temperature, humidity, light levels) and how I am able to use that to plan things and anticipate my own emotions and energy before it happens

[@olishant]

Not sure why, but the lighting seemed off in this video.

[@edi9892]

How about male cases of breast cancer? If it follows a similar pattern, then we can rule out a few hormones...

[@joshuagonzales9430]

Being hotter place means increases body heat/ it's cells metabolism meaning more cell activity and division that leads to higher chances of cancer

[@wytsewolf]

Damn! I didn't realize Scishow has over 6 million subs!

[@cillianhenry677]

Oh yeah right ! Where are the 6,4 millions others on all the videos ?!

[@cenedraleaheldra5275]

Very interesting

[@StudyWaliClass]

nice info

[@Killalink2552]

off topic but can you guys do a video on the “borderlands science” bacteria genome project. i get the concept (kind of) but i cant find any information on how it actually helps

[@wadecrudgel6006]

Is it potentially the case that the diagnosis itself is seasonal rather than the disease? For example, I can’t imagine that skin cancer could develop just during the summer, and maybe it’s more that people are looking for it during that time period and are more likely to get it checked out, or doctors are more likely to look for it. Most likely it’s a combination if anything, but it’s just something I was thinking about

[@twocvbloke]

Just shows how interconnected humans are with the environment around them, and imbalances in exposure to the sun results in bad things happening...

[@solotekle2999]

Melatonin supplement have any effect?

[@primeroultimo]

What about fruits and vegis some trees flower when spring comes around and fruit. some fruit at the end of summer at fall season what if its the flavenoids or some

[@90klh]

Soooooo complicated- imagine all the genetics and epigenitic mechanisms that interact with that seasonality like those specific tumor suppression genes that are mutated in a some cancers (a lot of them, all of them??)

[@EMBer3000]

Even if the evidence is lacking you can't really go wrong with eating a little more vitamin D and getting a sun lamp to use during winter. Could help with Seasonal Affective Disorder as well.

[@snowlily3930]

Ngl I thought the increase of coronary heart disease during winter was because of hearty Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners

[@littlefox8352]

Yes, but it is the same in the southern hemisphere, and we have rich Christmas food in the summer.

[@thecook8964]

Generall

[@DiamondTear]

Why are some letters in the text graphics bigger or colored differently? How is that supposed to help?

[@JaneShevtsov]

UV light does cause skin cancer, but it takes years for this to happen. It's more likely that people see growths more easily when they wear less clothing. Or they get a sunburn and it reminds them to see a dermatologist.

[@fubytv731]

So, the fact that I'm rarely exposed to sunlight doesn't increase my chance of getting a breast cancer then?

[@ThatFuckinGame]

It does, but just taking Vitamin D as a supplement won`t help you alone. Sun exposure has a lot to do with this not only the vitamin it produces.

[@darookmezd]

Is this correlation only observed in northern hemisphere?

[@terryenby2304]

Could these patterns be behavioural? Like thinking logically from anecdotal experience, changes of season are when people tend to change clothes and realise they don’t look the same (eg. They have lost weight, breasts have changed shape, and other habits? Could be that summer is when we are most likely to see our breasts and therefore remember to check them and find a cancer earlier??

[@anarchoraven]

"it's complicated"

[@christopheb9221]

Are these data of the rates and the studies of vitamin D and melatonin just from america and how wide so location, wealth/class, and race and if it actually is diverse did they take this into account? cuz all of these interact heavy with vitamin D like how much sunlight based on location, skin color how much vitamin d get from sun, and class how much you will be outside but also diet. most people that take vitamins dont need the implementation because they care enough about their health which is why they take vitamins also doesnt vitamin D stop/prevent melatonin production why you dont take vitamin d at night

[@pendragon_cave1405]

Surprised they didn't bring up seasonal allergies as a potential for cancer flares. Perhaps the increase in inflammation causes the cancer cells to start metastasizing more quickly.

[@ThatFuckinGame]

if there are no sustancial studies linking allergies to cancer then why saying random stuff like this?, this is why humans are terrible at correlation vs causation.

[@MrDragan19]

Wel i was always interested in you're video's. But I'm realising that it's so simplyfied that it makes correlation sound like causation (its clear you guys are aware but it stil makes it hard to discern fact form posebilty). Also you only name the date of your included studies that are recent. Ofcourse content needs to be fun but just wanted to share. :)

[@sonarbuge7958]

3:24 ‘people with ovaries’ 😐😐

[@daholyvagabond]

Was there any investigation into the women with higher Vitamin D levels? If they are spending more time outside, they may have a healthier lifestyle than the other women in the study i.e. they get more exercise, drink more water, etc. That may be the reason the scientist can't find a direct link.

[@belindaweber7999]

Well that was complicated... If I get my natural form of vitamin D to hopefully reduce my risk of Breast cancer (it runs in my family) I increase in turn my risk of skin cancer... 😕, Which as a person with pale East German and Irish decent skin type is increased in chances too... 😕😕

[@lfior]

You can get vitamin D supplements..it's recommended if you live somewhere where there isn't that much sun, and of course it's great because you don't have to expose your skin to cancer

[@ThatFuckinGame]

thats why you don`t go to extremes, its that easy. go more outside, but don`t bathe on the sun. also the stress about that its a far stronger correlation to cancer than any of this, so also take care of that (if cancer worries you too much, or you are generally a nervous person)

[@Seadalgo]

Host: Thyroid Hormone Me: Uhhh which one?

[@roivosemraiva]

A season for all things ....even Cancer and other maladies ..a Season for diseases...does it correlate with location of where you live?

[@naved6095]

My mom struggle because of breast cancer doctor cut her infected breast she recovered stage 3 after 3 years cancer returned spread all over body one by one kidney to lungs veins turned into black last day she vomiting something black black Nov 13 2017 she passed away Sorry My English is not good I'm not native English speaker

[@TheKhmer84]

cool

[@crubs83]

TL;DR - Nobody knows.

[@jskratnyarlathotep8411]

so basically the answer is "we do not know yet"

[@smurfyday]

I'm surprised researchers are assuming that dietary Vitamin D or melanin supplements are the same as naturally occurring ones. I thought it's pretty well established that they're different things, structurally and biologically. Supplementation just doesn't work, for the most part.

[@FrostglowASMR]

If there is a connection to melatonin, could that help explain why women who work night shifts are more likely to develop breast cancer?

[@dryang4971]

"Exposure to cold conditions decreases thyroid hormone levels " ,you're sure???cause in the case of hypothyroidism, one has cold intolerance.

[@paigesteele4406]

Vit D!

[@kingjames4886]

people eat more preserved food in the winter... all those preservatives.

[@sth.777]

It would be interesting to see a study of comparisons between USA and Europe, for example. I wonder if the seasonal spikes in the US have anything to do with wind or weather patterns in connection with the nuclear fallout of the Nevada testing sites - it's known that the wind carried those particles far and wide, and it's obviously gotten into the groundwater, plants (say, pollen), etc...

[@banicata]

"People with ovaries"????

[@DJCornelis]

Allergy to male pollen. Women suffering in a mans world. Gotta look at these things from a holistic perspective!

[@jeaniebird999]

Interesting. I discovered my lump in the fall and ignored it until spring...

[@crazykitten7009]

Am I the only one who gets distracted by her ear accessories?

[@pelewads]

If Vitamin D had some influence, you would expect to see higher risk for people with more melanin, at higher latitudes. I don't know if this is the case.

[@nora22000]

Black women do suffer higher rates of breast cancer, caught at far later stages.

[@pelewads]

@@nora22000 That is interesting

[@fernbedek6302]

Another cause for winter heart issues: sedentary people suddenly having to exert themselves shovelling snow.

[@benjaminnhlam2867]

LOVE the subtle labelling of "people with ovaries" instead of women. Very inclusive and also more scientifically correct for people with complicated sex biology!! 👏👏

[@Chris-op7yt]

does that mean that homosexual men who are known to use nitric oxide as a stimulant have less chance of heart attacks? i'm being serious if we're able to pick up patterns on a micro level or only broader patterns. broader patterns are self evident.