Where your DNA places you among other people, and the studies behind it.
Not tailored to your result, and not medical advice
Quit or Avoid Smoking: Smoking is not associated with ovarian cancer overall, but it is associated specifically with the mucinous subtype. A comprehensive meta-analysis of smoking and ovarian cancer histotypes reported a summary relative risk of 1.78 (95% CI 1.52 to 2.07) for mucinous ovarian cancer in current smokers versus never smokers, with a dose-response pattern reaching roughly 2.35 at 20 cigarettes a day. The same analysis found no significant association for serous tumors (RR 1.05) and inverse associations for clear cell and endometrioid tumors. This makes smoking one of the few clearly modifiable exposures tied to a specific form of this cancer. Cancer Causes & Control (PubMed)
Maintain a Healthy Body Weight: Greater body fatness is associated with a modest increase in ovarian cancer risk. A systematic review and nonlinear dose-response meta-analysis of 28 prospective studies reported a summary relative risk of 1.07 (95% CI 1.03 to 1.11) per 5 unit increase in BMI, and the authors reported the association was nonlinear rather than steady across the range. Body mass in early adulthood showed a somewhat stronger association, at 1.12 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.20) per 5 units, while no association was found for adult weight gain, hip circumference or waist-to-hip ratio. The effect sizes are small, and the behaviors behind them are the ordinary ones, diet and physical activity. International Journal of Cancer (PubMed)
Learn the Four Persistent Symptoms: Four symptoms recur in ovarian cancer: a swollen or bloated tummy, pain or tenderness in the pelvis or the area between the hips, loss of appetite or feeling full quickly after eating, and needing to pass urine more urgently or more often. The NHS notes these matter most when they happen frequently, roughly 12 or more times a month, and are new or persistent. These same symptoms are very common and are usually caused by something else entirely. If they are new and keep happening, that is worth raising with a doctor. NHS
Map Your Family Cancer History: Inherited variants account for a meaningful share of ovarian cancer. The NCI reports that about 39 to 58 percent of women who inherit a harmful change in BRCA1, and 13 to 29 percent of those who inherit a harmful change in BRCA2, will develop ovarian cancer during their lifetime, compared with about 1.1 percent of women in the general population. Knowing which relatives on either side of your family had ovarian, breast, or colorectal cancer, and at what age, is the raw material a genetic counselor works from. Genetic counseling is a discussion of what testing would and would not tell you, and it is the right setting for that history. NCI
Be Skeptical of Talc Claims: Genital powder use is the ovarian cancer risk factor most people have heard about, and prospective evidence does not clearly support it. A pooled analysis of four large US cohorts covering 252,745 women found a hazard ratio of 1.08 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.17) for ever using powder in the genital area, which was not statistically significant, although the authors noted the analysis may have been underpowered to detect a small increase. Much of the established risk for this cancer is reproductive and inherited rather than behavioral. The honest summary is that ovarian cancer is largely not lifestyle-preventable, and the associations above are not proof that changing any one habit prevents it. JAMA (PubMed)
How much of this is genetic?
Genetics explains 39% of why people differ in this trait. The rest is environment, daily habits and chance.
Heritability estimate: Nordic Twin Study of Cancer, Mucci et al., JAMA 2016
Background and further reading
Ovarian cancer refers to malignancies arising in the ovaries or, as is now understood for most high-grade serous tumors, in the fallopian tubes. It is among the less common but more serious gynecologic cancers, in part because early-stage disease often produces vague symptoms such as bloating, pelvic discomfort, feeling full quickly, and changes in urinary frequency. A woman's average lifetime chance of developing ovarian cancer is a little over 1 percent (about 1 in 90), and the majority of cases occur after menopause.
Genetic Basis: Inherited factors contribute meaningfully to ovarian cancer. The Nordic Twin Study of Cancer estimated the heritable component at roughly 39 percent of population variation in liability, though with a wide confidence interval. A few genes carry strong single-gene effects: BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the best known high-penetrance genes. Pathogenic variants in the moderate-penetrance genes RAD51C, RAD51D, and BRIP1, and in the Lynch-syndrome mismatch-repair genes (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2), also raise risk substantially. Separately, genome-wide studies have identified many common variants of individually small effect near genes such as TERT and BNC2 and in the 8q24 and 19p13 regions. A polygenic score aggregates these common variants and is distinct from testing for the rare high- and moderate-penetrance mutations.
Non-genetic and Modifiable Factors: Reproductive and hormonal history are the most established non-genetic influences. Factors linked to lower risk include having carried pregnancies, breastfeeding, and prior use of combined oral contraceptives, which is associated with a durable reduction in risk. Factors linked to higher risk include never having been pregnant, early menarche, late menopause, and endometriosis. Age is the strongest overall driver, with incidence rising after menopause. A polygenic score captures none of these factors, so it is only one small part of the overall picture.
The published research behind your score, and the variants it draws on.
14 published scores from 5 studies
The ovarian cancer score combines 14 polygenic scores drawn from 5 published studies.
These traits are influenced by some of the same genes and variants as this one
Content updated August 2026.
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