Understanding Breast Cancer Risk Factors: Personal Health History

Understanding what factors in your personal health history might affect your risk can help you work with your health care provider to address any concerns you may have and develop a breast cancer screening plan that is right for you.

• High bone density, age at first period, age at menopause, using birth control pills, and menopausal hormone use all are linked to blood estrogen levels which can impact breast cancer risk.
• Women who have had ovarian cancer appear to have an increased risk of breast cancer. 
• Women who have an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene have an increased risk of both breast and ovarian cancer.
• Breast cancer survivors have an increased risk of getting a new breast cancer. If the first breast cancer was hormone receptor-negative, the risk may be higher compared to those survivors whose first breast cancer was hormone receptor-positive.
• Having a history of Hodgkin's disease in childhood or early adulthood increases breast cancer risk about 15 to 25 times.

Learn more:  http://ww5.komen.org/BreastCancer/UncontrollableRiskFactors.html