Breast Cancer Risk Factors

• Women with abnormal genes, such as BRCA-1 or BRCA-2
• Women who began their menstrual periods before age 12 or began menopause after age 55
• Women who have used hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogen and progesterone for a long time
• Women and men who are overweight or obese
• Women and men who are not physically active
• Women and men over 40 (Most breast cancer is diagnosed in women over 40.)
• Women and men with a family history of breast cancer (Risk increases if several close relatives have been diagnosed with breast cancer or if a person’s mother was diagnosed before age 50.)
• Women and men who have already had cancer in one breast
• Women and men with a family history of ovarian cancer
• Women and men who have had radiation therapy to their chests