According to the CDC , “breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women in the United States.” All women are at risk, but certain factors can increase that chance of getting breast cancer, especially at a younger age.

Causes and Factors

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Recently, there’s been an increase in breast cancer diagnoses among women under 50. While women under 50 are typically not at high risk for this particular cancer, certain lifestyle trends and environmental factors could be contributing to this uptick in diagnoses. However, it is always important to note that every individual is different and should always consult a physician or primary care provider about their individual risk.

Elly Peters, RN, MS, OCN, CBCN, a Breast Care Nurse Navigator with CommonSpirit Health , noted that one factor contributing to this rise is that, “Women generally are waiting longer to have children and generally, there are fewer pregnancies.” This advances the risk because of “different exposure to estrogen and…