Birth Control Pills and Cancer

What Current Research Says about Birth Control Pills and Cancer

Current research is all over the place when it comes to the pill. Each year, new reports are released about birth control pills: the pill is safe, the pill causes terrible cancers, and more. It’s very frustrating.

Below is the current research available about birth control pills and cancer. However, it could all change by next month. The best thing you can do is maintain regular gynecological appointments with your health care provider. Your care provider will inform you about what’s new in birth control news.

Another way to stay up-to-date with women related news is to frequent sites that supply trusted women’s health care information. Sites such as The National Women's Health Information Center and MedlinePlus: Women's Health are good places to visit for health news.

Cancers That Birth Control Pills Can Possibly Influence

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) points out that a major factor regarding the pill and an increased cancer risk is the fact that some cancers are hormone dependent. Birth control pills are chock full of hormones, so researchers are interested in either proving for sure that these hormones cause, or don’t cause, an increased cancer risk.

Currently, women who take birth control pills are considered at risk for the following types of cancer:

• Cervical cancer: Taking the pill can possibly cause an increased risk for cervical cancer. That said, it’s truly the human papillomavirus (HPV) that is the major cause of cervical cancer. Your best bet is to focus on the risks HPV can present. HPV is spread through sexual contact. You're more likely to avoid cervical cancer by engaging in healthy sexual behavior and having timely health care check-ups then you are by avoiding the birth control pill.
• Liver cancer: Many studies regarding liver cancer and the pill have been sort of scary. The research shows that taking the pill can increase the odds for developing liver cancer in women who are normally considered low-risk. The lowest population at risk is white women without liver disease. So, white women’s odds for liver cancer went up when they took the pill. On the other hand, taking the pill did not increase the risk for liver cancer in African and Asian women – women typically considered high risk for liver cancer. Lastly, something to think about is that studies about liver cancer and the pill have not been conducted very recently. Many of the newer birth control pills available have not been studied for their liver cancer association.

Cancers That Birth Control Pills Do Not Likely Influence

There are some cancers that birth control pills are not known to create a risk for at all. Those cancer types (in regards to women) include ovarian and endometrial cancer. In fact, most studies have found that taking the pill can actually significantly reduce your chances of developing ovarian or endometrial cancer. Your risks are reduced even after stopping birth control and the reduced risks remain in effect for years.

Research That Is Inconclusive

Breast cancer has never been conclusively proven or disproven as a cancer caused by birth control pills. There have been a multitude of studies that contrast.

A study conducted by the Collaborative Group on Hormonal Factors in Breast Cancer showed that women are at a slightly elevated risk for breast cancer if they meet certain criteria, such as beginning to use the pill as a teen. Further research by this group shows that once a woman stops taking the pill, her risk for developing breast cancer falls back to normal (such as if they had never taken the pill) within 10 years.

In contrast, was research conducted by the Women’s Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences (Women’s CARE). This study was smaller than the study above, but still significant in numbers. This research showed that both current and former use of the pill did not increase the risks for developing breast cancer.

When the NCI did their own study, the results showed that women were at risk for breast cancer if they used the pill. Women in this study were asked when they last took the pill. The results showed that women who had used the pill within the last five years were at an increased risk for breast cancer.

WebMD, a site that gathers current health research and offers it in consumer friendly doses, is sketchy on the pill and breast cancer. All they’ll say is maybe you should take it, and maybe not. “Maybe” is not very scientific, but when it comes to breast cancer and birth control pills, at the moment, that’s all we’ve got.

Should You Take Birth Control Pills?

Should you take birth control pills is a personal question. Like any medical drug, you need to weight the risks of taking the pill against the pros of taking the pill. Not to mention you also should consider other birth control pill side effects and learn about the various birth control pill brands before making a decision.

Your health care provider can discuss all the pros and cons of the pill further with you and help you decide if your lifestyle choices make the pill a smart or not so smart choice for you personally.

Even when you have all the facts about birth control pills and cancer, it can still be confusing. Taking the pill should never cause you ongoing and unneeded stress due to worries of what problems the pill may cause. If you have constant worry about the pill, you may want to look into other birth control methods.