For our main research study, we will be carrying out a cohort study in which we will look at participant's milk and blood sample, as well as collecting data.
The BECS risk factor questionnaire will help us understand more about a woman's breast cancer risk profile.
With the gratefully received support of the Generations Study team, we have developed a risk factor questionnaire specific to breast cancer based on previous evidence. The questionnaire has been updated to include recent data and some extra questions related to breast cancer. By collecting this information, we are hoping to identify breast cancer risk markers in the epigenetic profiles of cells in breastmilk. You can read more about breast cancer risk factors here.
We are currently recruiting participants who donate milk to the Hearts Milk Bank or who could travel there.
We are aiming to recruit women using our website. If you are a woman, aged 18 and over, and are pregnant or breastfeeding a baby less than 2 months of age, and are interested in taking part in BECS, visit "For Participants".
In this first phase, we are aiming to recruit 300 women local to our recruitment hub at the Hearts Milk Bank. Samples will be collected and stored there, before being transferred to the Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, part of Imperial College. If you live further afield, we hope to be extending the study very soon.
You can read about the type of data we request from you here, how that data is stored here, and how to withdraw consent from the study here. The study's Privacy Policy is here.