Endometrial Cancer (Womb)

Lifestyle and long-term health factors that can increase risk:

• Being overweight or living with obesity is one of the biggest risk factors

• Being less active over many years as activity helps with weight and hormone balance

• Diabetes, especially type 2, is often linked with weight and insulin levels

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Other factors that can increase risk:

• Getting older

• Never having given birth

• Going through the menopause after 55

• Oestrogen-only HRT (if you still have a womb, oestrogen needs progesterone as well)

• Taking tamoxifen (used for breast cancer treatment)

• Family history of bowel / ovarian / womb cancer, or Lynch syndrome (a rare inherited condition)

• Past pelvic radiotherapy

Having one or more risk factors does not mean someone will develop endometrial cancer.

You don’t need to panic, just notice what’s normal for you. These symptoms can have other causes, but it’s important to get them checked, especially if they’re new or not going away.

Signs to look out for with endometrial cancer. The most common sign is unusual vaginal bleeding, including:

• Bleeding or spotting after the menopause (even once, even a small amount)

• Bleeding between periods

• Periods that are heavier than usual for you

• A change in vaginal discharge, especially if it becomes watery, pink, or blood-stained

Other (less common) symptoms can include:

• Pain or discomfort in your pelvis (lower tummy)

• Pain during sex

When to get advice

• See your GP urgently if you have any bleeding after the menopause, even if it’s just spotting or happens once.

• For bleeding before menopause, book a GP appointment if it’s new for you, keeps happening, or is getting worse.

Womb (uterus) cancer - Tests and next steps - NHS

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