The Angelina Effect: Why More Women Than Ever Are Opting For A Double Mastectomy

Angelina Jolie. Photo: Getty Images.

When Angelina Jolie bravely spoke out about her double mastectomy earlier this year, it was with the hope she could bring awareness to the surgery.

The 40-year old actress made the split decision to undergo the preventative operation after doctors said she had tested positive for the breast cancer gene.

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"My doctors indicated I should have preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in my female relatives," explained Jolie at the time. "My mother's ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I'm 39."

It seems Jolie's words hit home with a lot of women: a breast cancer clinic in the UK is now attributing the increased number of preventative double mastectomies to Jolie, saying they've risen significantly since the actress spoke out about her own experience.

"While we haven't analysed women's motivations for undergoing this type of surgery, the correlation suggests that if the increased uptake of double mastectomies can be attributed to 'the Angelina effect', the effect has been prolonged and has resulted in both increased referrals to our clinic, and increased rates of preventative surgery," said Gareth Evans, professor of clinical genetics at Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention.

Jolie, who is now in menopause, has been heralded as role model for women in a similar position.

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"I will not be able to have any more children, and I expect some physical changes," Jolie said after having her ovaries removed as well. "But I feel at ease with whatever will come, not because I am strong but because this is a part of life. It is nothing to be feared."