[ad_1]
Of: TT
Published:
Photograph: Gorm Kallestad / NTB-TT
According to a new study from Uppsala University, the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer among women taking birth control pills decreases. Stock Photography.
Birth control pills reduce the risk of certain types of genital cancer, shows a new study from Uppsala University. The protective effect also remains up to 30 years after the contraceptive is stopped.
250,000 women have participated in the study showing that birth control pills reduce the risk of developing ovarian and endometrial cancer, the two most common types of gynecological cancer. The risk of ovarian cancer decreased by 28 percent and by 32 percent for endometrial cancer, which begins in the lining of the uterus.
– During ovulation, growth hormone levels increase, which in turn can contribute to the formation of cancer cells. Birth control pills prevent ovulation and therefore also reduce the risk of cancer cell formation, says Åsa Johansson from the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University.
Up to 30 years
The study also showed that the reduced risk remains even when the women stopped using the contraceptive, and that the risk was half as great up to 15 years after the contraceptive pill stopped being used. But the protective effect turned out to last up to 30 years.
– For every ovulation you have during your life, you carry a risk of cancer. So the more ovulations you avoid, the lower the risk of cancer cells forming. You can say you lowered your risk when you took birth control pills and the course of the cancer was postponed, says Åsa Johansson, one of the lead researchers behind the study.
Increased risk of breast cancer
TT: Can women be advised to take birth control pills to reduce their risk of cancer?
– It is a very difficult question. There are other risks that are increased with birth control pills, such as depression and an increased risk of blood clots. There is also an increased risk of getting breast cancer, even if that risk is small. This makes it difficult to recommend taking birth control pills to prevent other types of cancer.
Previous studies have also shown that birth control pills reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. It is not clear whether different types of birth control pills reduce risk to varying degrees.
Published:
