Are You At Risk?

Most women have more than one known risk factor
for developing breast cancer, yet will never get the
disease. Some risk factors are things you can't control,
while others can be addressed by making lifestyle changes.

What's the most important risk factor? Simply being a
woman. But remember, there's no one cause of breast
cancer. If you are concerned about your breast cancer
risk, discuss your options with your doctor.

Known and probable risk factors:

• being a woman
• getting older
• having a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 breast
cancer genes
• having a previous biopsy showing hyperplasia or
carcinoma in situ
• having a family history of breast cancer or ovarian
cancer
• having high breast density on a mammogram
• having a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer
• starting menopause after age 55
• never having children
• having your first child after age 35
• being overweight after menopause or gaining weight
as an adult
• having more than one drink of alcohol per day
• currently or recently using combined estrogen and
progestin hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
• having your first period before age 12

My training efforts are going much better than my fund raising efforts. I was able to walk 5 out of 7 days last week. I'm hoping to start doing at least one long distance walk a week.

If you'd like more information on the walk or on breast cancer, visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.