- Maintaining a healthy diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats
- Avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol intake
- Maintaining a healthy weight through exercise and diet
When it comes to gynecologic cancers, specifically, you can reduce your risk in the following ways:
- Getting vaccinated against HPV (this is recommended by the American Cancer Society for both boys and girls ages 9 to 12).
- Avoid contracting an HPV infection by wearing condoms during sexual interactions and reducing your number of sexual partners.
- Staying up to date with cervical screening exams.
- If you are taking hormonal estrogen, using a formulation that also has progesterone as a component.
- Breastfeeding – this can reduce your risk of ovarian cancer.
- Using birth control pills – can reduce your risk of endometrial or ovarian cancer. However, you should make any risk reduction decision carefully, with your medical provider, as birth control pills can increase your risk of developing other forms of cancer, such as breast and cervical cancer.