Angelina Jolie Reveals She Had A Double Mastectomy

In an effort to bring more awareness to breast cancer and general women's health, Angelina Jolie revealed in a open letter through the New York Times that she had a double mastectomy back in February as a preventative measure against the disease.

Angelina decided to go through with the procedure after learning that she was the carrier of a faulty gene that increases her chances of developing the deadly disease. She writes,

"My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman. Only a fraction of breast cancers result from an inherited gene mutation. Those with a defect in BRCA1 have a 65 percent risk of getting it, on average."

After undergoing the life changing surgery, Jolie says her chances of developing breast or ovarian cancer are down to 5% now. The biggest influence that lead to her decision to have the surgery was her mom. Angelina's mom died at the young age of 56 in 2007, who was painfully suffering from her cancer. She says to the readers of the article, "I am writing about it now because I hope that other women can benefit from my experience."

Her fiance, Brad Pitt, has been by her side throughout this whole ordeal and he's been very supportive and loving and says, "We knew this was the right thing to do for our family and that it would bring us closer. And it has."

According to the New York Times piece, Angelina says she plans on detailing her decisions and surgery details through the website for Pink Lotus Breast Center where she received her treatment.