Can Sucking a Woman’s Breast Really Reduce Breast Cancer Risk? Health Expert Sets the Record Straight

As the world marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a familiar claim has resurfaced on social media suggesting that men can help their partners reduce the risk of breast cancer by sucking their breasts regularly.

The viral conversation has sparked mixed reactions, from humour to genuine curiosity. However, beyond the online chatter lies an important question: is there any scientific truth to this belief?

To clarify the matter, Pulse Ghana spoke with medical doctor Dr Dzifa Kpodo-Tay, who explained that the claim is largely a misconception, noting that while breastfeeding can indeed reduce the risk of breast cancer due to hormonal changes in women, the same cannot be said for breast sucking by men.

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She said:

Exclusive breastfeeding is when you are feeding your child through the breast for a period of mostly six (6) months. You do constant breastfeeding, so you feed on demand or every two (2) hours you are giving the child breast milk. And during that process, there is something that happens; it is called lactational amenorrhea because you are breastfeeding, hormones are being released to suppress menstruation.

She further explained that this process has a temporary contraceptive effect.

So mostly, you realise that when women get pregnant and they are breastfeeding, it acts as a kind of contraceptive. It prevents them from having their menses and hence conceiving again. So, you cannot suppress that menstruation.

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Dr Kpodo-Tay added that the reduction in oestrogen levels during breastfeeding plays a key role in lowering the risk of breast cancer. She clarified:

So because of that lactational amenorrhea, where they are not menstruating, they are not releasing the oestrogen. And it is the oestrogen that, when there is an abundance of it, promotes breast cancer growth.

However, she debunked the notion that men sucking women’s breasts could produce the same health benefits.

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So that is halted during breastfeeding because of the frequency with which they are doing it and also some changes that happen in the uterus during the process of breastfeeding. Those are the things that matter. But if you are sucking for one (1) hour or even thirty (30) minutes, you will not do anything.

Dr Kpodo-Tay emphasised that while the act may not prevent cancer, it could indirectly aid early detection.

For detecting changes, it is mostly their partners who can even see the breasts and say, ‘No, this breast has changed. This one has gotten bigger and this one has gotten smaller. Maybe you have got some rash on it.

She therefore urged both men and women to conduct regular breast self-examinations and seek medical advice whenever they notice unusual changes.

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While the social media myth linking breast sucking to cancer prevention continues to circulate, experts insist that only proper breastfeeding offers proven hormonal benefits. The most effective defence against breast cancer remains early detection through regular screening, self-examination, and timely medical consultation. Myths may attract attention, but knowledge saves lives.