What are the causes and symptoms of endometrial cancer?
Although the exact cause of endometrial cancer is unknown, it is clear that high levels of estrogen, when not balanced by progesterone, can lead to abnormal growth of the endometrium. Factors that increase a woman’s risk of developing endometrial cancer are: • Age. The risk is considerably higher in women who are over the age of 50 and have gone through menopause. • Obesity. Being overweight is a very strong risk factor for this cancer. Fatty tissue can change other normal body chemicals into estrogen, which can promote endometrial cancer. • Estrogen replacement therapy. Women receiving estrogen supplements after menopause have a 12 times higher risk of getting endometrial cancer if progesterone is not taken simultaneously. • Diabetes. Diabetics have twice the risk of getting this cancer as nondiabetic women. It is not clear if this risk is due to the fact that many diabetics are also obese and hypertensive. One 1998 study found that women who were obese and diabetic were three times m
