Most women have one or more risk factors for ovarian cancer. However, most of the common factors only slightly increase your risk, so they only partly explain the frequency of the disease. So far, what is known about risk factors has not translated into practical ways to prevent most cases of ovarian cancer.

There are several ways you can reduce your risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer. Much less is known about ways to lower the risk of developing germ cell and stromal tumors of the ovaries. The remainder of this section refers to epithelial ovarian cancer only. It is important to realize that some of these strategies reduce the risk only slightly, while others decrease it much more. Some strategies are easily followed, and others require surgery. If you are concerned about your risk of ovarian cancer, you may want to discuss this information with your health care professionals. They can help you consider these ideas as they apply to your own situation.

Oral contraceptives

Using oral contraceptives (birth control pills) decreases the risk of developing ovarian cancer, especially among women who use them for several years. Women who used oral contraceptives for 5 or more years have about a 50% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer compared with women who never used oral contraceptives.

Gynecologic surgery

Both tubal ligation and hysterectomy may reduce the chance of developing ovarian cancer, but experts agree that these operations should only be done for valid medical reasons -- not for their effect on ovarian cancer risk.

If you are going to have a hysterectomy for a valid medical reason and you have a strong family history of ovarian or breast cancer, you may wish to consider having both ovaries removed (bilateral oophorectomy) as part of that procedure.

Even if you do not have an increased risk of ovarian cancer, some doctors recommend that the ovaries be removed with the uterus if a woman has already gone through menopause or is close to menopause. If you are older than 40 and you are going to have a hysterectomy, you should discuss having your ovaries removed with your doctor.

Prevention strategies for women with a family history of ovarian cancer, including cancer due to BRCA mutation

Genetic counseling can predict whether you are likely to have one of the gene mutations associated with an increased ovarian cancer risk. If your family history suggests that you might have one of these gene mutations, you might consider genetic testing.

Before having genetic tests, you should discuss their benefits and potential drawbacks with the counselor. Genetic testing can determine if you or members of your family carry certain gene mutations that cause a high risk of ovarian cancer. For some women with a strong family history of ovarian cancer, knowing they do not have a mutation that increases their ovarian cancer risk can be a great relief for them and their children. Knowing that you do have such a mutation can be stressful, but many women find this information very helpful in making important decisions about certain prevention strategies for them and their children.

Using oral contraceptives is one way that women at average risk of developing ovarian cancer can reduce their risk for this disease. Oral contraceptives also seem to reduce the risk for women with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Some studies, however, have indicated that oral contraceptives might increase breast cancer risk in those who carry the mutation. Research is continuing to find out more about the risks and benefits of oral contraceptives for women at high ovarian and breast cancer risk.

It is not clear if tubal ligation is effective in reducing the risk of ovarian cancer in women who have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. Studies that have looked at this issue have not agreed about this. Researchers do agree that removing both ovaries and fallopian tubes (salpingo-oophorectomy) protects women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations against ovarian (and fallopian tube) cancer.

Sometimes a woman has this surgery to reduce her risk of ovarian cancer before cancer is even suspected. If the ovaries are removed to prevent ovarian cancer, the surgery is called "risk-reducing" or "prophylactic." Generally, salpingo-oophorectomy is recommended only for very high-risk patients after they have finished having children. This operation lowers ovarian cancer risk a great deal but does not entirely eliminate it. That is because some women who have a high risk of ovarian cancer already have a cancer at the time of surgery. These ovarian cancers can be so small that they are only found when the ovaries are looked at under the microscope (after they are removed). Also, women with BRCA1/BRCA2 gene mutations have an increased risk of primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC). This cancer can still develop after the ovaries are removed. Because the risk of fallopian tube cancer is also increased in women with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2, experts recommend that women at high risk of ovarian cancer who are having their ovaries removed should have their fallopian tubes completely removed as well (salpingo-oophorectomy).

Research has shown that premenopausal women who have BRCA gene mutations and have had their ovaries removed reduce their risk of breast cancer as well as their risk of ovarian cancer. The risk of ovarian cancer is reduced by 85% to 95%, and the risk of breast cancer cut by 50% to 60%.

Last Medical Review: 08/27/2009
Last Revised: 08/27/2009