Who Is at Risk for Endometrial Cancer?
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States. About 2 or 3 women out of every 100 women will develop endometrial cancer during their lifetime. Endometrial cancer is rare in women younger than 40 years. It most often occurs in women around age 60 years. Some women have a higher risk than others (see box). Some risk factors may be related to the use of estrogen. Estrogen is a hormone produced in a woman’s ovaries. It can be taken after menopause, when a woman’s ovaries stop producing estrogen (hormone therapy). Taken alone, estrogen increases the risk of endometrial cancer, if a woman still has her uterus. When estrogen is taken with another hormone, progesterone, a woman is protected against this increase. Risk Factors Certain factors can increase a woman’s risk of uterine cancer such as: • Obesity • Irregular menstrual periods • Never having a baby • Infertility • Starting menstrual periods at an early age (before age 12 years) • Late menopause • Histor
