What Are Some of the Risk Factors Associated With Ovarian Cancer?

Risk factors

• The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases as a woman ages.

• A woman whose mother, sister or daughter has had ovarian cancer has a higher-than-average risk of developing ovarian cancer.

• Women with a personal history of endometrial (uterine), colon or breast cancer are at increased risk for developing ovarian cancer.

• Women with a family history of breast cancer and BRCA gene positive are at risk of ovarian cancer.

• Fertility drug use has been associated with an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer.

• Hormone replacement therapy may be associated with an increased risk of ovarian cancer in postmenopausal women.

• Some research has shown a potential association between exposure to talcum powder in the genital area and increased risk for developing ovarian cancer.

Factors that may decrease one's risk of ovarian cancer

• Women who have undergone tubal ligation or hysterectomy are at decreased risk of developing ovarian cancer.

• The use of oral contraceptives might reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer. The longer that you take oral contraceptives, the lower your risk of developing ovarian cancer may be.

• Women who have had at least one child are less likely to develop ovarian cancer than women who have not had any children.

• Women who breastfed their infants are less likely to develop ovarian cancer.

Related Articles Is There an Effective Way to Screen Women for Ovarian Cancer? How Is Ovarian Cancer Diagnosed and Treated? What Is the Outlook for Women Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer? What Is Ovarian Cancer? Ovarian Cancer: No Longer a 'Silent' Killer

External Sources Dollinger M, Rosenbaum, EH, Tempero M., et al. Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy, Fourth Edition, Kansas City, Missouri: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2002 National Cancer Institute http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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