Many women are concerned if there is a relationship with breast cancer and taking the birth control pill. There have been studies indicating that birth control pills were linked to breast cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, heart disease, and stroke, especially in older women who are smokers. Then other studies indicate that the risk for breast cancer is minimal. So what is the real deal? Is there a link to a higher risk for breast cancer or not?

Hormonal influences

What research has found to date is that breast cancer is linked to the production of estrogen, which is the female hormone. The more estrogen in the body the more of a risk for breast cancer. Breast cancer is a type of cancer that is hormone receptor positive. This means there are receptors on the cells in the tissues of the breast, which accept estrogen and when they grow abnormally the estrogen will help fuel the growth of cancer. It is thought that the amount of estrogen in the body as well as how long the estrogen has been produced is the key to breast cancer risk. Therefore, the younger a girl is when she has her first period and the older a woman is when she goes into menopause will affect the outcome of breast cancer. Studies have shown if a woman must have her ovaries removed due to medical reasons the risk of breast cancer will decrease.

On the surface the most logical reaction would be to look at the fact that estrogen plays a big role in the development of breast cancer and since birth control pills contain estrogen one would not want to add more estrogen to the body through the use of birth control pills. However, there are other things to consider. The first thing is that there are conflicting studies about the causal affect between birth control pills and breast cancer. There is also the fact that a breast cancer often takes about 10 years to detect. Also birth control pills have changed over the years, the birth control pills on the market today have much less estrogen and progesterone content in them.

Long-term studies will have to take into consideration the changing birth control ingredients over the years. Dr. Leslie Bernstein and team conducted a meta analysis of the studies available pointing towards a connection with birth control pills and breast cancer and those concluding there isn’t a link between the two. What her team of researchers found from the study was that there is no link between birth control pills and breast cancer at this time.

However, The National Cancer Institute found a one percent increase for breast cancer in women who had used birth control pills for 20 months to 10 years over those who did not use birth control pills at all.

Some studies such as the one published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation 87:277 1991, showed that new birth control formulas containing progestin may inhibit the increase in estrogen and growth of cancer cells. Other studies point to the benefits of taking birth control pills as they may reduce the risk for endometrial and ovarian cancer.

Though one would not suggest taking birth control pills to lower the risk for one cancer only to increase the risk for another, at this point in time there does not appear to be a link with breast cancer and birth control pills. What should be the concern is for women who have had more estrogen production in their bodies due to early onset puberty (first menstruation before the age of 11), to note that estrogen is a cause of breast cancer. The longer estrogen has been produced in the body the more chance of contracting breast cancer. Therefore this particular group of women should consider a different form of birth control.

Related Posts

• Male Breast Cancer
• Treating Bone Loss in Breast Cancer Survivors
• Hormonal Therapy and Breast Cancer
• Can Being Overweight Put Me At Risk For Breast Cancer?
• Is Inflammatory Breast Cancer Linked to Indoor Air Quality?