Ways women may reduce their risk of developing this deadly disease Ovarian cancer doesn't get as much attention as breast, uterine or even endometrial cancer. Seventy percent of women who have ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage of disease, primarily because the cancer can substantially grow without evoking serious symptoms. At this stage, even with proper treatment, ovarian cancer claims the lives of 70 percent of women who develop it.
Genes play a role in determining a woman's risk of ovarian cancer.
A recent study determined that the risk of ovarian cancer rose 20 percent with every 10 grams of saturated fat consumed a day. Another study found that women who drank more than one glass of whole milk a day tripled their risk. Consider taking birth control pills. And the pill's protective effects last for as long as 10 years after you stop using it. Use caution with fertility drugs.