|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
|
| |||
| ||||
| ||||
|
| |||
|
| |||
| October 11 | |
|
Birth Control Pills |
|
|
There are many health benefits of taking the birth control pill. But now there’s concern that it’s use could lead to breast cancer in some women. It’s important to point out that the risk appears to be strongest from earlier formulations of birth control pills. According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, women who took birth control pills prior to 1975 and have close relatives with breast cancer were at greatest risk of having breast cancer themselves. In fact, researchers found that first degree relatives such as mothers, sisters, and daughters of breast cancer patients were at 3-times greater risk of breast cancer if they used birth control pills prior to 1975. In the highest risk families with 5 or more breast or ovarian cancer cases, the use of oral contraceptives increased the risk 11-fold. According to the researchers, there isn't enough information yet about the women who started taking birth control pills after 1975. Complicating all of this is the fact that certain women with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer may also be at an increased risk of ovarian cancer, and oral contraceptives can actually reduce that risk. If you’re thinking about starting the pill, best advice at this point is to talk with your doctor, and weigh the risks and benefits in light of your individual case. |
|
 |
|
|
How would you counsel a woman with a family history of breast cancer who has been taking the birth control pill? We don’t know what the risk is with the current pills, so a woman should weigh the risks and benefits of continuing with her doctor. But any woman, and especially a woman with a family history of breast cancer, needs to have regular clinical breast exams and mammograms as determined by her physician. | |
|
REFERENCE:
Risk of Breast Cancer With Oral Contraceptive Use in Women With a Family History of Breast Cancer |
|