Birth control pills linked to breast cancer

Study links certain birth control pills to higher Breast Cancer Risk among Women 20 to 49 Years of Age

This nested case–control study was among female enrollees in a large U.S. integrated health care delivery system. Cases were 1,102 women ages 20 to 49 years diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 1990 to 2009. The study published in the journal Cancer Research is linking certain types of oral contraceptives to a higher risk of developing breast cancer. (UCI UC Irvine / CC BY NC ND 2.0 | +mara / CC BY NC ND 2.0)

“Compared to women who formerly used birth control pills or never used them, the risk for breast cancer was increased by about 50% for women who did.”

Other studies had already made a link between oral contraceptives, AKA “the pill,” and breast cancer.

The results suggest that recent use of contemporary oral contraceptives is associated with an increased breast cancer risk, which may vary by formulation. If confirmed, consideration of the breast cancer risk associated with different oral contraceptive types could impact discussions weighing recognized health benefits and potential risks.