What are the risk factors for endometrial cancer?

A risk factor is anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease such as cancer.

Different cancers have different risk factors.

The ovaries normally produce two main types of female hormones - estrogen and progesterone.

The balance between these two hormones changes each month, producing a woman's monthly periods and helping to keep the endometrium healthy.

When the balance of these two hormones shifts toward relatively more estrogen, a woman's risk for developing endometrial cancer increases.

Many, but not all, of the known risk factors for endometrial cancer (such as early menarche, late menopause, infertility and obesity) are believed to be related to changes in hormone balance.