You may choose to have a preventative mastectomy if you have risk factors for developing breast cancer, such as: Family history of breast cancer: Your risk increases significantly if an immediate family member, such as your mother, daughter or sister, had breast cancer.

Insurance coverage No federal laws require insurance companies to cover risk-reducing mastectomy. Some state laws require coverage for risk-reducing mastectomy, but coverage varies state to state. It's best to check with your insurance company to learn about your plan's coverage.

There's no one-size-fits-all age recommendation, but the procedure is commonly performed on women in their 30s and 40s who are deemed to have a higher risk for breast cancer.

Listen to pronunciation. (pree-VEN-tiv ma-STEK-toh-mee) Surgery to reduce the risk of breast cancer by removing one or both breasts before disease develops.