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Why the Contraceptive Pill Reduces Cancer Risk
Taking the oral contraceptive pill dramatically lowers your risk of ovarian and uterine cancers in later life – find out why.
Taking birth control reduces the body’s oestrogen levels for some years to come, reducing your risk of several types of cancers, according to researchers at Wake Forest University in the US.
Researchers have known for many years that past oral contraceptive use significantly lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancers later in life, but they haven’t known why. Now, the research shows that taking the contraceptive pill changes the way your body processes hormones, lowering the body’s oestrogen levels for over a decade after you’ve stopped taking them – and this new discovery could shed light on more effective cancer treatments.
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The research adds further weight to supporters of the contraceptive pill, who say that the benefits outweigh the risks and side effects. However some critics say that the pill could also increase your risk of breast cancer.
This study actually looked at 181 monkeys and followed them for seven years in a study designed to look at hormone effects on many aspects of female health – and the scientists say that the results should be the same for women.
Half of the monkeys were given a birth control treatment of oestrogen and progestin, for 2 years. The researchers found that years later, the monkeys still had significantly lower oestrogen levels.
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'Hormone exposure has long been known to be important in cancer risk,' said researcher Dr J. Mark Cline.
'These effects are robust, and we believe this discovery could be translated fairly quickly into a study in women. If our results are confirmed to also occur in women, they could change the way we look at oral contraceptives and cancer risk.'
Dr Catherine Hood, the Sunday Mirror’s Sex Doctor, say that when you’re taking hormones, like any drugs, there are some side effects, particularly taking oestrogen.
“There are serious potential side effects – the oestrogen can make your blood prone to clotting and there can be issues with breast cancer, but there are also protective benefits that come with the pill – it protects you against certain types of cancer, like endometrial and ovarian cancer, and obviously protects you from pregnancy,” she says.
“So there’s a real balance you have to take when you’re deciding whether to go on the Pill; great benefits balanced against potential risks.”
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