Modern contraceptive pills protect women from ovarian cancer

Can the anti-baby pill protect against cancer?

Researchers have now found that women who use modern forms of the combined anti-baby pill have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer than women who do not take hormonal contraception.

Researchers at the University of Aberdeen and the University of Copenhagen found in their current research that using modern versions of the combined birth control pill can protect women from ovarian cancer. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Reduced risk of ovarian cancer

Modern forms of the anti-baby pill contain various doses of synthetic estrogen and different types of progestins. For women who are currently of reproductive age and use modern hormonal products, the results are reassuring because they show a reduced risk of ovarian cancer associated with combined oral contraceptives, study author Dr. Lisa Iversen from the University of Aberdeen.

Data from more than 1.8 million women were evaluated

Data from more than 1.8 million women from a Danish database of nationwide information on individual hormonal contraceptives given was analyzed along with other information, including records of cancer related illnesses. After sorting out the cases in which women had cancer or infertility before recording began, the research team was provided with data for more than 1.8 million women aged 15 to 49 years. Overall, 86 percent of hormonal contraception was due to the combined pill, say the experts.

How did the intake affect the risk of ovarian cancer??

Taking into account factors such as age, number of children, education and family history of both ovarian cancers, the team found that women who had used a hormonal contraceptive method at one time had a 34 percent lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. The risk was reduced by 42 percent in the women currently using the hormonal contraceptive method and by 23 percent in the women who had used this form of contraception for just a year or more.

Combination pill better protects against ovarian cancer than progestin methods

The longer the women took hormonal contraceptives, the greater was the reduction in the risk of disease for women, and the overall reduction was more pronounced in patients taking the combination pill than in those who used only so-called progestin-based methods such as progestin pills, implants, or a progestin-releasing intrauterine device, explain the authors of the study.

What restrictions existed?

However, the study has an important limitation. When women were over 50 years old, they were not investigated further. However, according to Cancer Research UK, 53 percent of ovarian cancers are diagnosed every year in women over the age of 65 and older. Recent figures show that around 7,400 new cases of ovarian cancer occur each year in the United Kingdom alone.

Adverse effects of taking the pill

Researchers have already found that women taking hormonal contraceptives are at an increased risk of developing depression. In addition, hormonal contraceptives, particularly the combination pill, have been associated with a slightly increased risk of breast cancer. However, the current study shows that the combination pill also has advantages over other methods of contraception. (As)