Your one-in-eight lifetime chance of developing
the disease increases if you:
- Never had a child, or if your first child was born after your 30th birthday.
- Went through menopause after the age of fifty.
- Had your first period before the age of twelve.
- Were ever on birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
- Drink more than one alcoholic beverage a day.
- Live a sedentary lifestyle.
- Have a family history of the disease.
- Are post-menopausal and have gained weight.
- Are obese.
- Do shift work.
- Have ever had breast cancer – if so, your chance of developing a new cancer (not a recurrence) increases by three to four times.
- Smoke. Cigarette smoking, interestingly, has not been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer, but second hand smoke has . . . go figure. Of course cigarette smoking is linked to lung and several other cancers, as well as heart disease.
- Are aging – and this is one of the most serious of all risk factors. You’ll learn why in the next paragraph.
