A risk factor for cancer is anything that can increase your likelihood of having the said disease. In this article, we will talk about the risk factors for endometrial cancer.

Keep on reading if you’re a female because this article concerns you.

But before you proceed, let’s get one thing straight: it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have endometrial cancer if you have one, some or all of its risk factors. Some women have the risk factors but do not have endometrial cancer. On the other hand, some of those with endometrial cancer did not have any of the risk factors before being diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

Now that such is made clear, let’s take a look at those risk factors:

Age

As a general rule of thumb, a woman’s risk of having endometrial cancer increases the older she gets. Health authorities say that uterine cancer is usually seen in women who are over 50 years of age. They add that 60 is the average age of women with uterine cancer.

Family History

Do you have immediate female relatives who have (or had) uterine cancer? If yes, you have a higher risk of also having the disease one day. That’s because uterine cancer, just like so many other types of cancer, tends to run in families.

Race

Compared to women of other races or ethnicities, white women are likelier to have endometrial cancer. However, doctors admit that black women are the ones who are at risk of developing an advanced form of the cancer.

Other Types of Cancer

Experts say that women who have had certain types of cancer may also develop uterine cancer. Some examples include breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Studies have shown that many women with endometrial cancer used to have colon cancer.

Weight

Are you obese or overweight? Then it’s a good idea for you to start shedding off those unwanted pounds. It’s for the fact that having excess fatty tissue causes hormonal imbalance which can trigger uterine cancer. In fact, about 40 percent of all uterine cancer cases are linked to obesity.

Diabetes

According to doctors, women who are suffering from diabetes are at higher risk of having endometrial cancer than women who do not have diabetes. Such can be blamed on obesity, which is a common complication of uncontrolled diabetes.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

The many unfavorable symptoms of menopause can be managed by means of hormone replacement therapy. Unfortunately, the said treatment is linked to endometrial cancer. This is especially true if estrogen alone is taken.

Late Menopause

Speaking of menopause, health authorities confirm that women who encounter menopause later than the rest are at higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. The same is true for women who had their period before 12 years of age.

Poor Diet

Based on numerous studies, women whose diet includes a lot of animal fat are likelier to end up having endometrial cancer than those whose diet are low in animal fat. The inclusion of fruits and vegetables in the diet may help lower endometrial cancer risk.

Cancer Treatment

Women who underwent radiation therapy for treatment of cancer in the pelvic region are said to be at risk of developing endometrial cancer. The same can be said for women who took tamoxifen, which is a drug for treating breast cancer.

If you have some or all of the risk factors mentioned above, ask your doctor on how you can considerably lower your risk of having endometrial cancer in the future.