Women Over 50 More Likely to Develop Uterine Cancer

It is not known why some women develop uterine cancer, but scientific studies on what causes one woman to develop uterine cancer and another to not develop it are constantly ongoing. However, there are certain risk factors that are known put some women at a higher risk for developing uterine cancer. For those who develop uterine cancer, there are different treatment options, but most involve a hysterectomy. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it may cure (or at least help) a person's uterine cancer, a hysterectomy can affect a woman in both a physical and emotional way.

Risk Factors for Developing Uterine Cancer

There are about five factors that put you at a greater risk for developing uterine cancer. If you are a woman, and you're over the age of fifty, you are automatically at a higher risk of developing uterine cancer. Other factors include, undergoing hormone replacement therapy, being overweight, suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure, having a history of other types of cancer, of if you are Caucasian. Interestingly, if you are a woman who has never been pregnant or have never had a child, you are also at a higher risk of developing uterine cancer.

How is Uterine Cancer Treated?

Depending on the size of the cancerous tumor and the stage of the uterine cancer, different uterine cancer treatments are available. Your doctor will discuss all treatment options with you and will go over the possible side effects of each. In most cases, treatment for uterine cancer begins with surgery or a complete hysterectomy, which is a complete removal of the uterus. After surgery, it is possible that you may have to undergo additional treatments including, radiation, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy.

Hysterectomies are More than the Removal of the Uterus

When you undergo a hysterectomy, as a result of her having uterine cancer or for any other problem or disease related to the uterus, you must deal with both a physical recovery and an emotional recovery. The physical part of the recovery is a result of the pain that comes from having gone through surgery (although some hysterectomies do not require an incision). The emotional part of the recovery is usually due to you feeling depressed after the uterus is removed. Once it is removed, there is obviously no chance that you will ever be able to have another baby. This may not be a major factor to women who are at the greatest risk of developing uterine cancer because they are typically over the age of fifty. Nonetheless, it is always an emotional experience when a part of the body is removed due to cancer.