Learning that you carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene change is a life-changing moment. These gene changes greatly raise the lifetime risk of breast cancer — up to about 72% for BRCA1 carriers and up to about 69% for BRCA2 carriers. For many women facing this, a preventive (prophylactic) mastectomy — removing both breasts before any cancer develops — is a strong way to take control of their health. But this decision is about far more than the surgery itself. To make a choice that fee