For example, there are reported cases of lesbians experiencing inadequate care during gynecological exams after disclosing their sexual orientation. Under such circumstances, lesbians are not as inclined to see physicians and have screenings as regularly as their heterosexual counterparts. The National Cancer Institute estimates that one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime before 50 years of age. Although much greater study is needed, lesbians are believed to be at higher risk for breast cancer as a result of smoking, inadequate diets, obesity, fewer pregnancies, and they are less likely to seek early diagnosis screening. Researchers postulate that hormonal changes during pregnancy and the production of breast milk help to protect the woman's body against breast cancer.
Lesbians continue to face obstacles in the social welfare system when opting to adopt children.
Today, more and more lesbians are choosing parenthood through insemination. Even with the recent increase in inseminated pregnancies, lesbians are not as likely to have children, and therefore they will ovulate during the menstruation years more than heterosexual women. Researchers theorize that the development of certain cancers are linked to how often a woman ovulates, according to a study published in the Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. To date, however, there are no epidemiological findings to support the assumption that lesbians are a high-risk group for developing breast cancer. Yet, there is a perception in the lesbian community that they are more likely to develop cancer than heterosexual women.