This show is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

It is for informational purposes. Please consult your health care professional

with any medical questions. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in her 50s. Luckily, it

wasn't complicated, and she quickly went into remission. But this April, she was diagnosed

with pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal and hardest cancers

to treat. It was devastating news. I assumed it wasn't a hereditary cancer. Most aren't. But some

cancers can be caused by genetic mutations, like the BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 genes, sometimes referred to as the BRCA genes.

These are genes that normally protect cells from damage, but when they don't work, cancer risk skyrockets.

Years ago, I was actually tested myself for broca mutations. I sent off blood work for genetic testing

with a private company. I never got the results back,

and I sort of forgot about it. That is, until my mom's doctors tested her blood and found out that she

carried a BRCA-1 mutation. Her cancer had a genetic, heritable element. I contacted the testing

company that I had sent my blood work to years earlier,

and I finally got those results. I was positive for a BRCA-1 mutation myself. I would have been

livid if I wasn't so scared. I'd already had my own battle with HPV-related cancer in 2021.

And as a pelvic surgeon, I know too well the realities of ovarian cancer. Within weeks, I had my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed.

The wildest part? I have a PhD in genetics. I work with some of the best physicians and

scientists in the world. I am an

expert in ovarian cancer, yet this potentially fatal mutation went undetected in me for nearly

63 years. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Pointer, and this is Decoding Women's Health, a show from Pushkin Industries

and the Atria Health Institute that's elevating the conversation about women's health

and midlife, and frankly, challenging some of the status quo information out there.

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