Everybody is at risk of breast cancer:
Women who are older: A woman over age 60 is at greatest risk.
Women with a family history of breast cancer: Women face a
greater threat if their mother, sister or daughter had breast cancer,
especially before age 40.
Not having children or having a first child after age 30
increases the risk.
Women who had their first menstrual period before age 12
or went through menopause after age 55 are more likely to develop the disease.
Starting your periods (menarche) at an early age has been linked with an
increased risk of breast cancer. And if you have a late menopause this
increases your breast cancer risk.
Women who become obese after menopause.
Women who get menopausal hormone therapy also increase the
risk.
Women who are physically inactive throughout life appear
to have an increased risk of breast cancer. Being physically active may help to
reduce the risk by preventing weight gain and obesity.
Women who drink alcohol: Some studies suggest that the
more alcoholic beverages a woman drinks, the greater her risk of breast cancer.
Women who have benign breast disease: Most non-cancerous (benign) breast conditions
don’t increase breast cancer risk, but some may mean that you have a slightly
increased risk of breast cancer. About 1 in 20 breast lumps show ‘atypical
hyperplasia’. This means the cells are not cancer, but they are growing
abnormally. Atypical hyperplasia increases your risk of breast cancer by
between 2 and 5 times the average.
