Breast cancer risk factors
- being a woman
- getting older — the older you get, the greater your risk of breast cancer
- having an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast cancer genes
- a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer
- a family history of breast cancer
- having high breast density on a mammogram
- having a previous biopsy showing hyperplasia
- being exposed to large amounts of radiation at a young age
- never having children
- having your first child after age 35
- high levels of blood androgrens or estrogens
- postmenopausal hormone use (in certain women)
- being overweight after menopause or gaining weight as an adult
- high bone density
- having more than one drink of alcohol per day
- starting menopause after age 55
- being younger than 12 at the time of your first period
- current or recent use of birth control pills