Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

Having one or more risk factors does not guarantee that one will develop breast cancer. Rather, the medical and gynecologic history, age and heredity may contribute, in some degree, to the risk of breast cancer.

We do know that a woman's risk of breast cancer increases:

• With age
• If her mother or sister has had breast cancer
• If she has never had children or first became pregnant after age 30
• If her first menstrual period occurred at a young age
• If she undergoes menopause at an older age
• If she is found to have one of the gene mutations known to increase the risk of breast cancer (i.e. BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation)

More on Breast Cancer

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.