What Causes Ovarian Cancer?

Doctors aren't sure what causes Ovarian cancer, but some studies have indicated the following as risk factors:

• Family history of breast, ovarian or colorectal cancers
• Increased risk if your mother, sister or daughter has/had the disease
• Risk increases the more relatives you have with Ovarian cancer
• Not having children and/or not breastfeeding
• Women who have had children decrease their risk. This risk reduces even further with each child they carry
• Obesity
• Obese women (over 30 BMI) have higher risk
• Smoking
• Fertility drugs
• Some studies show that using the fertility drug Clomid for more than one year can increase your risk of developing Ovarian tumors.
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Women taking estrogen after menopause have an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer
• Age - specifically women who have gone through menopause
• Half of all Ovarian cancers are found in women over the age of 63
• Talcum powder
• Talcum powder applied directly to the genital area or on a sanitary napkin may be carcinogenic (cancer-causing) to the ovaries 

These are not all of the risk factors, but something to get you thinking.  I never thought about "risk factors" when it came to cancer. The obvious is smoking, but not all smokers get lung cancer and not everyone with lung cancer is/was a smoker. 


More information can be found here:
Web MD. Risk Factors for Ovarian Cancer
ACS Ovarian Cancer Risk Factors

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