Birth control pills still tied
to breast cancer, according to a study
Women who use contraceptive pills and I.U.D.s that release
hormones face a higher risk than those using methods
without hormones, scientists in Denmark reported.
Women who use oral contraceptives or hormone-releasing contraceptives face a small but significant increase in breast cancer risk, according to a large study released Wednesday.
The study, which has followed 1.8 million Danish women for more than a decade, challenges widespread assumptions about modern contraceptives for younger generations of women. Doctors and many women believed that new hormonal contraceptives are much safer than those taken by their mothers or grandmothers, who had higher doses of estrogen.
The new document estimates that for every 100,000 women, the use of hormonal contraceptives causes an additional 13 cases of breast cancer per year. That is, per 100,000 women using a hormonal contraceptive, there are 68 cases of breast cancer each year, compared to 55 cases per year among non-users.
Although a link was made between contraceptive pills and breast cancer years ago, this study is the first to examine the risks associated with current formulations of contraceptive pills and devices in a large population.
to breast cancer, according to a study
Women who use contraceptive pills and I.U.D.s that release
hormones face a higher risk than those using methods
without hormones, scientists in Denmark reported.
Women who use oral contraceptives or hormone-releasing contraceptives face a small but significant increase in breast cancer risk, according to a large study released Wednesday.
The study, which has followed 1.8 million Danish women for more than a decade, challenges widespread assumptions about modern contraceptives for younger generations of women. Doctors and many women believed that new hormonal contraceptives are much safer than those taken by their mothers or grandmothers, who had higher doses of estrogen.
The new document estimates that for every 100,000 women, the use of hormonal contraceptives causes an additional 13 cases of breast cancer per year. That is, per 100,000 women using a hormonal contraceptive, there are 68 cases of breast cancer each year, compared to 55 cases per year among non-users.
Although a link was made between contraceptive pills and breast cancer years ago, this study is the first to examine the risks associated with current formulations of contraceptive pills and devices in a large population.
The study found few risk differences between formulations; women cannot protect themselves by turning to implants or intrauterine devices that release a hormone directly into the uterus.
Research also suggests that the hormone progestin - widely used in today's contraceptive methods - can increase the risk of breast cancer.
"This is an important study because we had no idea how modern pills compared to old-fashioned pills in terms of breast cancer risk, and we knew nothing about the IUD," he said. said Dr. Marisa Weiss, an oncologist who founded the breastcancer.org website and did not participate in the study. "Gynecologists have just assumed that a lower dose of hormone means a lower risk of cancer, but the same high risk is there."
"It's small but it's measurable, and if you add up all the millions of women taking the pill, it's a significant public health problem," Dr. Weiss added.
According to the authors, the study was limited because it did not take into account factors such as physical activity, breastfeeding, and alcohol consumption, which can also influence the risk of breast cancer.
 |
| Birth control pills still tied to breast cancer, according to a study |
 |
| Birth control pills still tied to breast cancer, according to a study |
Officials at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said they would carefully evaluate the new findings, but noted that hormonal contraceptives are "among the safest, most effective and most accessible options for many women".
Experts have noted that oral contraceptives also have certain benefits, and are associated with reductions in ovarian, endometrial and possibly colorectal cancers later in life.
Dr. Chris Zahn, vice president of practice at A .COG, recognized a link between breast cancer risk and hormone use but urged women to consult a trusted medical provider before making any changes. "It is important for women to feel confident and comfortable with their choice of contraception," he said.
Because the risk increases with age, Dr. Weiss suggested that older women might consider switching to a contraceptive method without hormones, such as a diaphragm, a I.U.D. it does not release hormones or condoms. "It's not like you do not have a choice," she said. "Why not pursue another option?"
In a commentary accompanying the new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, David J. Hunter, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Oxford University, said the new study did not find that the Modern contraceptives were at risk. free.
"There was a hope that contemporary preparations would be associated with a lower risk," he said in an interview. "This is the first study with substantial data to show that this is not the case."
Nearly 10 million American women use oral contraceptives, of which about 1.5 million rely on them for reasons other than birth control. The number of women in the United States with intrauterine devices, many of which produce hormones, has increased in recent years, as has the number of women using other types of hormonal contraceptive implants.
In a commentary accompanying the new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, David J. Hunter, professor of epidemiology and medicine at Oxford University, said the new study did not find that the Modern contraceptives were at risk. free.
"There was a hope that contemporary preparations would be associated with a lower risk," he said in an interview. "This is the first study with substantial data to show that this is not the case."
Nearly 10 million American women use oral contraceptives, of which about 1.5 million rely on them for reasons other than birth control. The number of women in the United States with intrauterine devices, many of which produce hormones, has increased in recent years, as has the number of women using other types of hormonal contraceptive implants.