Obesity in post menopausal women who have never been on hormone replacement therapy can be the cause of ovarian cancer. But the women who have been on hormone replacement therapy were safe from the ovarian cancer.

According to the new study, being overweight can raise the risk by more than 80 percent The research was carried by the U. S. National Cancer Institute. The researchers followed almost 95,000 U. S. women, aged 50 to 71, for an average of seven years to come to the conclusion.

Ovarian cancer is often considered as fatal condition. Only about one in three women with ovarian cancer survive five years, which is lowest survival rates of all cancers.

" So obviously you want to do everything you can to lessen your risk of this disease," CBS4 Medical Editor Dr. Dave Hnida said. "With this study we now know carrying too much weight is a major risk factor, but it is one you can do something about."

The researchers opine that the increased risk in obese women may be due to their fat cells. The fat cells convert normal hormones into estrogen and estrogen plays a significant role in the development of ovarian cancer.