How can I reduce my risk of breast cancer?

Changing your lifestyle can reduce your overall risk of developing breast cancer. You can choose to change factors such as your weight, how much alcohol you drink, the amount of physical activity you do or whether or not to take the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and for how long.

The decision about whether to make any changes can be difficult. The best choice for you depends on your personal situation and may change over time. Every choice involves thinking through the helpful effects as well as the possible unwanted effects.

You should talk about any changes you decide to make with your doctor and decide together which pros and cons are most important to you.

For more information on how to reduce your breast cancer risk see web section on risk or our publication  Breast Cancer Risk: the facts (881 kb)

Information last reviewed: 1 November 2011