Is it true that contraceptive devices can increase breast cancer risk?

Contents:

Medical Video: Do Birth Control Pills Increase My Breast Cancer Risk?

About 140 million women worldwide use hormonal contraception. In addition to effectively stopping pregnancy, birth control pills also help control other conditions such as acne, premenstrual syndrome(PMS), and mood swings (mood). Research also shows that birth control pills can slightly reduce the risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. However, other studies show that hormonal contraceptive forms that contain more hormones are associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.

Link between contraception and risk of breast cancer

According to a study in Denmark, published byNew England Journal of Medicine. Hormonal contraception, including birth control pills and spiral family planning (IUD), slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. However, this increased risk of breast cancer is different for each woman and depends on many factors, including:

  • Age
  • General health conditions
  • Already have risk factors for breast cancer before using contraception, such as heredity
  • Have other breast cancer risk factors such as smoking, alcoholism, and obesity

New forms of contraception that contain low-dose hormones are considered safer, although all contain warnings in instructions that can increase cancer risk.

Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you should not use hormonal contraception. There is evidence that hormonal contraception can increase the risk of reappearing cancer.

The study was conducted on nearly 1.8 million women for around 11 years. The researchers looked at the medical records of all women living in Denmark between the ages of 15-49. This study did not involve women with the following criteria:

  • Women diagnosed with cancer
  • Women diagnosed with blood clots
  • Women undergoing treatment for infertility

This research was conducted by looking for information on how many women use hormonal contraception and what types of contraception are used. Also, find out how many women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.

During follow-up, 11,517 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed among women.

The researchers found that women who used hormonal contraception had a slightly higher risk of breast cancer than women who never used hormonal contraception.

contraception during breastfeeding

Researchers also found that women who used hormonal contraception for more than 10 years had a higher risk than women who used hormonal contraception for less than 1 year.

Overall, an increased risk of about one new breast cancer case from 7,690 women who used hormonal contraception for a year. This includes a very small risk.

The risk of breast cancer is also different for women of various ages. For women younger than 35 years, there is only one additional case of breast cancer for every 50,000 women who use hormonal contraception for one year. As for premenopausal women who use hormonal contraception, the risk of breast cancer increases, albeit small.

So actually hormonal contraception is safe or not?

take birth control pills before becoming pregnant

The risk of breast cancer needs to be balanced with the benefits of using oral contraception. Apart from the fact that oral contraceptives provide effective contraceptives and can benefit women with dysmenorrhea or menorrhagia, oral contraceptive use is also associated with a reduced risk of future ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancer.

Even so, some calculations show that oral contraceptive use for 5 years or more can slightly reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer, but increase the risk of breast cancer.

It should be noted, this study is still limited because experts have not been able to take into account other factors that influence breast cancer risk. For example, do regular exercise participants, whether they breastfeed or not, are overweight, and how much alcohol they drink in a week.

So, if you have a specific question or are worried about the contraception you are currently using, consult your obstetrician directly.

Is it true that contraceptive devices can increase breast cancer risk?
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