Bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy (also called bilateral prophylactic mastectomy) is the surgical removal of both breasts to help reduce the risk of developing breast cancer. It is therefore different from a mastectomy that is carried out as part of cancer treatment. Bilateral prophylactic mastectomy is risk-reducing surgery carried out even though there is no evidence of cancer in the breasts.

Risk-reducing mastectomy can usually be followed by breast reconstruction (the formation of new breast shapes). This can be done either during the same operation or at a later date. This is optional – not everyone who decides to have risk-reducing mastectomy will want to have breast reconstruction.

Women with a strong family history of breast cancer and who have cancer in one breast sometimes decide to have the other breast removed to reduce the chance of getting breast cancer again. This is called contralateral mastectomy.

This section is mainly about bilateral risk-reducing mastectomy, although much of it will be relevant if you are considering having contralateral mastectomy.