Causes of ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women, but the American Cancer Society reports that women’s risk of developing cancer is still very low. In the United States, less than 1% of women who have no family history or other risk factors develop ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is more common in postmenopausal women and increases with age. Half of all ovarian cancer cases occur in women aged 63 or older, and white women are affected more often than black women.

Other factors that may increase your risk include:

Overweight or obesity
Birth of the first child in 35 years or no pregnancy
Taking hormonal medications after menopause
Family history of ovarian, breast, endometrial, or colon cancer
BRCA1 and BRCA2, gene mutations associated with Lynch syndrome and other cancers
personal history of breast cancer