As breast cancer continues to be one of the leading cancers prevalent in Jamaican women, it is important to understand the many factors that may predispose an individual to this type of cancer.

Generally, the development of breast cancer in an individual may be due to a combination of factors, however, the main factors that influence one’s risk include being a woman and getting older.

Breast cancer risk factors can be grouped into two main categories – namely, risk factors that can be changed and those that cannot be changed.

The risk factors that cannot be changed include getting older, genetic mutations and reproductive history. For a full list of breast cancer risk factors that cannot be changed please read What to know about breast cancer risk factors? (Part I)

Breast Cancer risk factors that can be changed

While there are many risk factors that may predispose an individual to the development of breast cancer, there are also risk factors that are within one’s control and can be changed. These factors include:

1. Physical inactivity – Women who are not physically active have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

2. Being overweight or obese post menopause – Older women who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of getting breast cancer than those at a normal weight.

3. Taking hormones – Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (those that include both estrogen and progesterone) taken during menopause can raise one’s risk of developing breast cancer when taken for more than five years. In addition, certain oral contraceptives (birth control pills) also have been found to raise breast cancer risk.

4. Reproductive history – Having the first pregnancy after age 30, not breastfeeding, and never having a full-term pregnancy can also raise one’s breast cancer risk.

5. Drinking alcohol – Studies show that a woman’s risk for breast cancer increases with the more alcohol she drinks.

In addition to these factors, research suggests that other factors such as smoking, being exposed to chemicals that can cause cancer, and changes in other hormones due to night shift working may also increase one’s breast cancer risk.