• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Breast cancer: progestogen-only and combined birth control both increase risk – here’s what you need to know

March 22, 2023
in Article
Breast cancer: progestogen-only and combined birth control both increase risk – here’s what you need to know
The progestogen-only pill is more commonly known as the ‘mini pill’. Samuel Borges Photography/ Shutterstock

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer worldwide, with around 2.3 million women diagnosed with the disease every year. In the UK alone, it is estimated that one in seven women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetime.

The biggest determinants for developing breast cancer are age and being female. But other lifestyle factors, such as weight, how much you drink, whether or not you exercise, and hormone levels, can also play a smaller part in elevating your risk.

It has also been known for many years now that women who are using or have recently used the combined oral contraceptive pill for more than five years have a 25% greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to their risk if they hadn’t taken the pill. But despite this small increase in risk, only about 1% of all breast cancers in the UK are linked to the use of oral contraception.

Until now, it was thought that only the combined hormonal pill carried a greater risk of breast cancer. But a recent study suggests that the progestogen-only pill (also known as the mini pill) and other forms of hormonal contraception also carry the same increase in breast cancer risk as the combined pill.

The authors of the study looked at data from the GP records of more than 27,000 women in the UK, and combined this with data from 12 other published studies that had looked at the effect of different types of hormonal contraceptives (including the progesterone-only pill, hormonal IUDs, the implant and the injection) on breast cancer risk.

With this data, they were able to estimate whether women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 were more likely to have used various forms of hormonal contraceptives, compared to women of the same age who had not been diagnosed with breast cancer. The study took into account other factors that may affect risk of breast cancer, such as body weight, alcohol intake and whether they had children.

The study found women who used progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives had between a 20-30% greater risk of developing breast cancer compared to women not using these methods. This increased risk disappeared ten years after stopping the method.

Making individual choices

To better put the study’s findings into perspective, it might help to look at the extra number of people who may develop breast cancer due to having used hormonal contraceptives, compared to the number of women who will develop breast cancer without having used birth control.

A woman undergoes a breast examination using a machine operated by a male doctor.
Many factors may increase your risk of breast cancer.
GagliardiPhotography/ Shutterstock

So for example, the researchers in this study estimate that in a group of 100,000 women aged 35-39, about 2,000 women will develop breast cancer over a 15-year period due to a range of factors unrelated to the use of hormonal contraception. But given that the study found birth control carries between a 20-30% greater risk of developing breast cancer, they estimate that an additional 265 women will therefore develop breast cancer over a 15-year period as a direct results of taking oral birth control.

If we were to look at women aged 50-54, we know from other research that about 280 women per 100,000 are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. If birth control increases breast cancer risk by 20-30%, it would mean an additional 70 women per 100,000 would develop breast cancer each year.

This is one of the reasons women are not advised to take the combined pill over the age of 50. The results of this latest study mean women may also want to consider the slightly increased risks of breast cancer with progestogen-only contraceptives over the age of 50. However, progestogen-only methods remain safer in terms of cardiovascular risks – such as stroke and heart attacks – in this age group.

Obviously, breast cancer is a serious disease and a leading cause of death in younger women, so anything which increases a person’s risk of breast cancer has to be considered carefully.

But one of the difficulties of deciding on whether a contraceptive method presents an acceptable risk is that many other common lifestyle behaviours also increase cancer risk. For example, it’s estimated that while 1% of breast cancers in the UK are caused by hormonal contraceptives, 5% are caused by not breastfeeding, 8% by being overweight and 8% by drinking alcohol.

This is further complicated by the fact that hormonal contraceptives can have some benefits. For example, the contraceptive injection can help ease symptoms in women who have endometriosis, while the intrauterine device is very effective in treating very heavy periods.

The combined oral pill reduces the risk of endometrial cancer by about 50% and ovarian cancer by about 40%. It’s also beneficial in helping with hot flushes and other pre-menopausal symptoms. Not to mention that contraception allows a woman to control her reproductive cycle and avoid unwanted pregnancy.

The decision about which contraceptive method to use is an extremely personal choice. The findings of this study provide important clarity on breast cancer risk, allowing women to make a more informed decision when it comes to using contraception.

The Conversation

Susan Walker has previously received funding from Bayer PLC, and previously advised Natural Cycles.

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
Mounting research points to health harms from cannabis, THC and CBD use during pregnancy, adolescence and other periods of rapid development

Mounting research points to health harms from cannabis, THC and CBD use during pregnancy, adolescence and other periods of rapid development

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS