Fact
Having a family history of breast cancer does increase your risk of getting breast cancer. The increase is minimal at approximately 5-10%.

Additionally, many breast cancers occur by chance, with it less likely to be a genetic cause if you or your relative/s were older (50 or over) when diagnosed. Immediate relatives, being a grandmother, mother, sister or daughter are the only individuals included in a persons family history.

If you do have a family history of breast cancer, five years prior to that persons detection, you should begin to have mammograms (breast x-rays).