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What to know

Understanding your cancer risk and being proactive about your health may help you lower your risk for getting breast or ovarian cancer at a young age, or find it early when treatment works best.

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Overview

All women can do things to lower their breast and ovarian cancer risk. Young women should learn their family health history, as this can help you learn if you have a higher risk for getting hereditary breast or ovarian cancer at a young age.

Learning your family health history also can help you understand if you should talk to your doctor about your risk, and if genetic counseling and testing is right for you. If you learn that you have a higher risk of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, there are things you can do to manage your risk.

My Family Health Portrait: Cancer‎

CDC's new mobile health app My Family Health Portrait: Cancer helps you collect your family's history of cancer and can help you understand your risk for breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancer. Android users can download the app from Google Play and iOS users can download the app from the App Store.

What you can do

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Learn Your Family History of Breast and Ovarian Cancer

Your family history of cancer can help you know if you have a higher breast cancer risk.
a young women talking to a genetic counselor

Genetic Counseling and Testing

Genetic counseling is recommended before and after a genetic test.
young women participating in an aerobics class

Practice Healthy Behaviors

You can lower your risk of getting breast cancer at any age by making healthy lifestyle choices.
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Content Source:
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; Division of Cancer Prevention and Control