The risk factors for uterine adenocarcinomas (Type I) are associated with excessive estrogen stimulation. Women who are obese, have polycystic ovarian syndrome, or take unopposed estrogen replacement (as seen with drugs like tamoxifen or estrogen-only hormone replacement treatment) are at risk. Other risk factors include diabetes mellitus and family history of colon and/or uterine cancer, which may point to an inherited syndrome that will increase your risk, called hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer syndrome (HNPCC).
One of the biggest contributing risk factors for uterine cancer is obesity. Obesity is defined as a Body-Mass Index (also called BMI) of greater than 30. The fat tissue, called adipose, is able to store high levels of hormones that can be converted to estrogen and stimulate the endometrium to create endometrial cancer. Obese women can decrease their risk of developing endometrial cancer by modifying their lifestyle to normalize their BMI.
Joan said: I don’t meet any of the normally listed risk factors. I have been a little overweight but never obese and there is no family history for inheritance. It is a puzzle to me but I certainly don’t dwell on the “why me” in life. Knowing I cannot pass it to my children lets me leave the why’s behind.