The cancer few women know.

Risks

How do I know if I am at risk for uterine cancer?

Number 2:

Risk of uterine cancer.  Uterine cancer is the fourth most common cancer among American women.  Women who are above the age of 50 or have gone through menopause are at increased risk for this disease.  White women are at higher risk than African-American women.  Pacific Islander/Asian-American women and Hispanic-American women are also at risk but their chance of getting uterine cancer is lower.

Every woman's body makes two different hormones.  One hormone is called estrogen and the other is called progesterone.  If you have a condition in which your body produces high levels of the hormone estrogen but does not make enough of the other hormone progesterone to balance the estrogen, then you are at increased risk of getting uterine cancer. 

This can happen in someone who is overweight, has irregular periods, has trouble getting pregnant, or has been taking estrogen replacement for a long time.  Women with high blood pressure or diabetes are also at increased risk for developing this cancer.  A personal or family history of breast, ovarian, or colon cancer may also increase the risk of developing uterine cancer.  Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat breast cancer can also increase a woman's risk of getting uterine cancer.  If  a woman has any of those seven conditions, her risk for uterine cancer is greatly increased.