As you likely know, the unfortunate reality is that many kinds of cancer affect people all over the world on a regular basis. Some progress has been made in recent years in terms of treating cancer more effectively. Nevertheless, any sort of cancer is a major health concern and is treated as such.
One kind of cancer that exclusively affects women is uterine cancer. It might not be the first type of cancer you think of when you think about cancer more generally, but it is actually the most common sort of gynecologic cancer and affects many women each year. Some factors can contribute to the risk of women developing uterine cancer. Let’s discuss those factors.
Age Can Increase the Risk of Uterine Cancer
Uterine cancer is uncommon in women who are younger than 50 years old. It is not entirely clear why that is the case, but the fact remains that women most often develop uterine cancer after the age of 50. The average age of a woman when she is diagnosed with uterine cancer is actually 60.
Women younger than 45 years old rarely develop uterine cancer. As a result, women who are 50 or older should see their gynecologist regularly to check for any signs of uterine cancer. Doing so can help catch any cancer early and early treatment is always preferable when it comes to cancer.
Obesity May Raise the Risk of Uterine Cancer
Of course, no one can prevent themselves from getting older, so age is one contributing factor to uterine cancer development that is out of one’s control. However, not all these contributing factors are that way. One more factor that can raise the risk of women developing uterine cancer is obesity.
Fatty tissue in overweight women creates additional estrogen and estrogen can increase the risk of uterine cancer. The increase in the risk of uterine cancer correlates to the increase in a woman’s body mass index. Body mass index is a term for a person’s weight-to-height ratio. Obesity is a significant contributing factor to the development of uterine cancer since roughly 70% of uterine cancer cases are connected to obesity.
Genetics May Contribute to the Risk of Uterine Cancer
Unfortunately, as with age, you cannot control what genetics you have at birth. There is some evidence that uterine cancer runs in families that have a history of colon cancer. People who are part of families with Lynch syndrome, also known as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
Chemical Hair Straighteners Can Cause an Increased Risk of Uterine Cancer
You may not have heard about this if you haven’t been following the hair straightener lawsuits, but some evidence suggests a connection between a chemical hair straightener and uterine cancer. You are more likely to develop uterine cancer if you use chemical hair straighteners on a regular basis, according to one study. Chemical hair straighteners contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals and these chemicals can increase the risk of developing diseases normally kept in check by hormones such as obesity, diabetes, and several kinds of cancer. Hormones contribute to the development of uterine cancer and chemical hair straighteners disrupt endocrines, which are a type of hormone. As such, it is best to avoid using chemical hair straighteners so you don’t have an increased risk of developing uterine cancer.
