Published On: Tue, Dec 18th, 2012

Ovarian Cancer – Risk Factors

No way to know for sure if you will get ovarian cancer. Most women who get it do not have a high risk.
However, several factors can increase a woman’s risk of developing ovarian cancer, for example:

  •     Being a woman of middle age or older.
  •     Having a genetic mutation (abnormality) called BRCA1 or BRCA2.
  •     Having had breast, uterine, or colorectal.
  •     Being of Jewish descent (Ashkenazi) in Eastern Europe.
  •     Not having children or having difficulty getting pregnant.
  •     Having endometriosis (a condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus grows in other parts of the body).

Women with a family history of ovarian cancer have an increased risk of developing it.

Anything that increases the risk of developing a disease is called a risk factor. The risk is increased in women who have a first degree relative (mother, daughter or sister) with ovarian cancer. This risk is higher in women with a first degree relative and one second-degree relative (grandmother or aunt) suffering from this cancer. The risk is even greater in women with two or more first-degree relatives suffering from ovarian cancer.

Some ovarian cancers are caused by mutations (changes) inherited gene.

The genes in cells carry the hereditary information that a person receives from parents. Hereditary ovarian cancer represents approximately 5 to 10% of all cases of this type of cancer. Hereditary three structures were identified: single ovarian cancer, ovarian and breast cancer and colon cancer ovarioy.

In addition, some studies indicate that women who take estrogen alone (without progesterone) for 10 years or more may have an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

If you have one or more of these factors does not mean you will get ovarian cancer. But you should talk to your doctor about your risk.

About the Author

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>