The uterus is a pear-shaped reproductive organ located in the pelvis of a woman and houses a growing baby during pregnancy. The lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, sheds each month and is the menstrual period. Cancer cells can develop in this lining, referred to as endometrial cancer. Endometrial cancer is the leading gynecological cancer and occurs in one out of every 50 women in the United States, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Information. Several risk factors increase the chances of developing this cancer.
Hormones
A woman's body produces estrogen and progesterone, reproductive hormones. A natural balance of these hormones shifts during a monthly menstrual cycle. The natural shift in hormones allows the lining to shed and keeps the endometrium healthy, according to the American Cancer Society. Referred to as menopause, the body stops menstruation once a woman's reproductive years end and the ovaries stop producing estrogen. Some women choose to take supplemental estrogen to treat symptoms, such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness, related to menopause. The exposure to estrogen alone---without also taking additional progesterone---after menopause increases the risk of developing endometrial cancer. Because of hormone shifts, women who never carried a baby in the uterus, either by choice or because of infertility issues, have a higher risk of endometrial cancer.
Age
Several factors concerning age increase the risk of developing endometrial cancer. The age females begin menstruation factors into the chance of getting this disease. Early menstruation, defined as beginning before the age of 12, increases the risk of uterine cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. The earlier onset of menstruation increases the years the body produces reproductive hormones and increases the endometrial exposure to estrogen. Most females develop endometrial cancer between the ages of 60 and 70, according to Medline Plus.
Obesity
Women who eat a high fat diet and women who are obese have an increased risk of endometrial cancer. In addition to the ovaries producing estrogen, fat cells increase the estrogen level in a woman's body. Overweight women have twice the occurrence of endometrial cancer and obese women have three times the incidence than women of average weight, according to the American Cancer Society.
Family History
Women with a family history of endometrial cancer have a higher tendency to have the same cancer or colon cancer. Genetic testing can determine if there is a high risk of having endometrial cancer with a family history of the disease.
Diabetes
Females who have diabetes, high blood sugar levels, also have an increased chance of developing cancer in the uterus. Diabetic women are four times more likely to develop endometrial cancer than women with normal blood sugar levels, according to the American Cancer Society.
Tamoxifen
A drug used to treat breast cancer, called tamoxifen, acts as estrogen in the uterus and causes the lining to grow. This growth is most common for women using the medication for longer than five years, according to the Merck Manual of Medical Medicine. This growth increases the risk of cancer cells in the endometrium.
