Am I at risk for getting uterine cancer or who is at high risk for uterine cancer?
The following factors may increase a woman’s risk of developing uterine cancer:
- Age: Uterine cancer most often occurs in women over 50 years and older.
- Obesity: Women who are overweight tend to produce additional estrogen, a sex hormone that can increase the risk of uterine cancer.
- Genetics: Families where colon cancer is hereditary, women are at a higher risk to develop uterine cancer.
- Diabetes: Diabetic women may have an increased risk of uterine cancer.
- Other cancers: Women who have had other cancers such as breast cancer, colon cancer, or ovarian cancer may have an increased risk of uterine cancer.
- Tamoxifen: Women who take the drug tamoxifen, for prevention or treatment of breast cancer have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
- Radiation therapy: Women who have had radiation therapy in the past for another cancer in the pelvic area are at a greater risk of uterine cancer.
- Estrogen imbalance: Imbalance of estrogen is related to many of the following risk factors:
- Women who started having their periods before age 12 and/or go through menopause later in life.
- Women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after menopause, especially if they are taking estrogen alone. The risk, however, is lower for women who take estrogen with progesterone.
- Women who have never been pregnant.
1800 208 2000
