8 Things You Can Inherit From Your Mother

(BlackDoctor.org) — Many aspects of our health are genetically linked. According to researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research at the University of London, there’s a 57 percent chance that a girl will start menstruating within three months of the date that her mother began.

Here are 9 other women’s health conditions that experts say we may have inherited from our mothers.

1. Migraines
There’s a 70-80 percent chance that you’ll suffer from migraines if your mother did. Researchers believe that a flawed gene may cause severe headaches and can be passed on. If this gene is defective, outside factors, like light, are more liable to trigger pain centers in the brain that cause headaches.

Other triggers include sensitive foods like chocolate, coffee, cheese, citrus fruit and red wine and should be avoided. Also, be aware that hormones during your menstrual cycle can set them off.

2. Breast Cancer
Women who carry the mutated gene BRCA1 or BRCA2 are more at risk to develop breast cancer. Most women who have the defective gene will develop cancer at a very young age, says cancer geneticist, Dr. Elizabeth Rapley.

As a preventative measure, it’s extremely important for women to get mammograms after age 40. If you have a blood relative who has had breast cancer, you can also get genetically screened and be more closely monitored. Some women, who have the mutated gene and a family history of cancer get prophylactic mastectomies to reduce their chances of developing the disease.

3. Fitness Levels
We can inherit up to 50 percent of our fitness levels genetically. Even though we all need to exercise to build muscle, it is true that people require far less physical activity to achieve the same amount of tone and fitness level. Unfair, we know.

Louise Sutton, the head of Carnegie Centre for Sports Performance at Leeds Metropolitan University, says, “You need to do 30-45 minutes of moderate to high-intensity aerobic activity, such as running, swimming or cycling, preferably with bursts of speed, on at least three days a week.” Adding resistance and stretching will also help.

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