Discharge? Anti-baby pill can protect women against cancer in the long term?

Physicians are studying the effect of the birth control pill on cancer risk
Many women around the world use the so-called anti-baby pill to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies. Researchers have now found that taking this pill causes women to be long-term protected from some types of cancer.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen found in an investigation that taking the pill to prevent pregnancy protects women in the long run from various cancers. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology".

Women take the pill to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancy. Apparently the protection goes much further. When women took the contraceptive pill, they were still protected from some types of cancer for at least 30 years later, even after the last dose of the birth control pill. (Image: rosifan19 / fotolia.com)

What is the anti-baby pill?
The anti-baby pill for women is the most commonly used contraceptive in most industrialized nations. The pill must be taken regularly and, when used correctly, is considered to be one of the safest ways to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. The contraceptive pill is a so-called hormone preparation containing the female hormones estrogen and progestin.

Pill protects against colon cancer and ovarian cancer
Women who have taken the contraceptive pill during their lifetime are better protected from cancer in the long term (up to 30 years). Intake of the pill appears to protect against colon cancer and ovarian cancer compared to women who have never taken the birth control pill, the researchers say.

Taking the pill affects the risk of other cancers?
The researchers also looked at the risk of all types of cancer in women who took the pill during their gestation years and found that taking it does not lead to new cancer risks later in life.

Anti-baby pill does not lead to cancer later in life
We were very interested in how taking the pill affects the overall balance of all cancers in women. Finally, the intake could eventually lead to an increased risk of various other cancers. However, we found no evidence for the emergence of new cancer risks in later life of aging women, explains the author. Lisa Iversen from the Institute of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Aberdeen.

Physicians monitored the subjects medically for up to 44 years
The latest study conducted by Dr. med. Iversen examined about 46,000 women over a period of up to 44 years. Because the investigation ran for a very long time, we were able to monitor long-term effects of taking the pill well, Dr. Iversen.

Taking the pill actually protects against some cancers
The results of the long-term study showed that if women have ever used the pill, they are less likely to develop various forms of cancer, such as colon cancer and ovarian cancer, the researchers explain.

Protective benefits will last up to 30 years
The proven protective benefits of using the contraceptive pill during the reproductive years persist for at least 30 years after the last dose of the pill, the doctors say. Thus, even decades later, this contraceptive can have a protective effect on women. (As)