There are many Risk Factors for Breast Cancer, including:

Gender:
Although men can get breast cancer, it is about 100 times more common in women.

Age:
Nearly eight out of 10 breast cancers are found in women over the age of 50.

Family History:
Having a mother, sister or daughter with breast cancer doubles a woman's chance of getting the disease. Breast cancer can also be passed from a mother's or father's side of the family.

Genetic:
Many families may have two or more affected individuals. Certain families share a gene for cancer susceptibility.

Personal History:
If a woman had breast cancer in one breast she is at a high risk to have breast cancer in the other.

Race:
White women are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer, but African American women have a higher risk of dying from the disease. This is because of the late stage in which it is found.

Previous Abnormal Breast Biopsy:
Women who have previously had abnormal breast biopsies have a greater risk of getting breast cancer.

Previous Breast Radiation:
Women who have had radiation treatment to the chest area have a greatly increased risk of breast cancer.

Menstrual Periods:
Women who began their period before age 12 or women who went through menopause after the age of 55 have an increased risk.

Treatment with DES:
In the past, some pregnant women were given the drug DES because it was thought to lower their chances of losing the baby. Recent studies have shown that these women have a slight increased risk of getting breast cancer.

Lifestyle Risk Factors:
Not having children: Not having children or having a first child after age 30 puts a woman at a higher risk of having breast cancer.

Birth Control Pills:
Studies have found that women now using birth control pills have a slightly greater risk of breast cancer. Women who stopped using the pill more than 10 years ago do not seem to have any increased risk. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT):
It has become clear that long-term use of combined HRT has increased the risk of breast cancer and decreases the effectiveness of mammograms, thus causing the breast cancer to be found at an advanced stage.

Breast-Feeding and Pregnancy:
Some studies have shown that breast-feeding slightly lowers breast cancer risk, especially if breast-feeding lasts one and a half to two years. This could be because breast-feeding lowers a woman's total number of menstrual periods, as does pregnancy. One study found that having more children and breast-feeding longer could reduce the risk of breast cancer by half.

Alcohol:
Women who have one drink a day have a very small increased risk. Those who have two to five drinks daily have about one and a half times the risk of women who drink no alcohol.

Diet:
Being overweight is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer, especially for women after change of life and if the weight gain took place during adulthood. Also, the risk seems to be higher if the extra fat is in the waist area.

Exercise:
Studies show that exercise does reduce breast cancer risk.