Ovarian Cancer Prevention

The first step of ovarian cancer prevention is recognizing your personal risk factors for the condition and controlling them, if possible. Risk factors that can be controlled include use of fertility drugs or hormone replacement therapy. The second step of ovarian cancer prevention is engaging in behaviors that may protect you against the disease. For example, women with a family history of ovarian cancer may have a prophylactic oophorectomy.

Ovarian Cancer Information

Ovarian Cancer Prevention: An Overview

Doctors cannot always explain why one person will get ovarian cancer and another person will not. However, research scientists have studied general patterns of cancer in the population to learn what may increase a person's chances of developing cancer.

Anything that increases a person's chances of developing a disease is called a risk factor; anything that decreases a person's chances is called a protective factor. Ovarian cancer prevention means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the chances of developing ovarian cancer decrease.

Ovarian Cancer Prevention: Know the Risk Factors

The first step in ovarian cancer prevention is knowing what the risk factors are for the disease. Some ovarian cancer risk factors can be avoided, but many cannot.

Studies have identified the following ovarian cancer risk factors:

Family history of ovarian cancer
Age over 50
No history of childbirth
Personal history of breast cancer or colon cancer
Use of fertility drugs
Use of talc in the genital area
Use of hormone replacement therapy.

(Click Ovarian Cancer Causes for more information on these risk factors for ovarian cancer.)

(Ovarian Cancer Prevention Continued: Page 2)