About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.
In fact, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among American women except for skin cancer.
Here are some of the most important risk factors you should discuss with your doctor.
Your age: The older you are, the greater your risk for breast cancer. For example, only 1 in 227 women will develop breast cancer during the 10 years after age 30. But by age 70, the chances of developing breast cancer during the next 10 years is 1 in 26.
Your family history: Having a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer doubles a woman’s risk. Still, it’s important to remember that less than 15% of women with breast cancer have a family history.
You have dense breast tissue: The risk of breast cancer can be up to 2x higher for women with dense breast tissue.
You use alcohol: A woman who has 2 to 5 drinks each day increases her risk for breast cancer by up to 50 percent.
Other risk factors: include being overweight, lack of physical exercise, birth of a first child after age 35 and having hormone therapy after menopause.
Source: American Cancer Society, National Cancer Institute