Steps You Can Take To Reduce Your Ovarian Cancer Risk

Although any woman can get ovarian cancer, several factors are associated with increased risk. These include obesity, having endometriosis, and never having had children. Some women have a gene predisposing them to ovarian cancer, so genetic testing might be worthwhile for those whose sister, mother, aunt, or grandmother has had ovarian cancer, or had breast cancer at a young age, in both breasts, at two separate times, or of a type called triple-negative. You also may be at risk if a close relative has had other forms of cancer, such as pancreatic cancer or melanoma, at an especially young age. It is always important to note, however, that most women who develop ovarian cancer will have no known family history of cancer, so a negative family history (one without cancer) should not be interpreted as reassurance that ovarian cancer will not occur.