Ovarian Colorado

Information for the Public

• Overview
  • What are Ovaries?
  • What is Ovarian Cancer?
  • What is Your Risk?
  • Warning Signs
  • Diagnosis
• A Closer Look
  • Family History
  • Genetic Testing
  • Treatment
• FAQs
• Survivors' Stories
• Resources
  • Web Sites
  • Colorado Resources
  • References
• Worksheets
• Para Mujeres Latinas
  • ¿Cuál es su Riesgo?
  • Signos de Advertencia
  • Hojas Informativas
• Home

What Is Your Risk?

Here are some risk factors for ovarian cancer:

• Age - although younger women are diagnosed, the risk of ovarian cancer goes up as a woman gets older
• A personal history of breast, endometrial (lining of the uterus) or colon cancer
• A close family member in either your mother’s or your father’s family who had breast or ovarian cancer, particularly at an early age
• Being of Eastern European Jewish ancestry and having a relative with breast or ovarian cancer
• Having an altered gene called BRCA1 or BRCA2
• Never having been pregnant or never having used the birth control pill
• Obesity and sedentary lifestyle

What Reduces the Risk for Ovarian Cancer ?

• The use of birth control pills for more than 5 years
• Multiple pregnancies
• Breast feeding
• Removal of the ovaries
• Healthy lifestyle (exercise and healthy diet)

Am I at Risk for Ovarian Cancer?

In Colorado, the lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer is 1 in 52.

There are certain factors that may increase or decrease your risk to develop this disease:

FAMILY HISTORY: Hereditary factors play a role in ovarian cancer. In some families, there are several relatives such as mother, grandmother, aunts or cousins who have developed ovarian cancer. If a relative has had certain other types of cancer, such as breast, colon, or endometrial (lining of the uterus) there may be a higher chance of getting ovarian cancer. It is also important to know that just because you have this risk, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

PERSONAL HISTORY: If a woman has had one of the cancers mentioned above, she is at a higher risk to develop ovarian cancer. Certain lifestyle issues are also important. For example, using birth control pills for more than 5 years lessens the chance that a woman will develop ovarian cancer. The reason for this, as well as having multiple pregnancies and nursing your baby is that less ovulation occurs and may be a protective factor for some women.

(See ‘What Reduces the Risk of Ovarian Cancer’ above)