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| Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk | Oral contraceptives (OCs) as the form of birth control appeared in the United States in the early 1960s and quickly gained its popularity due to their convenience, effectiveness, and reversibility of action of birth control pills. There were concerns that the hormones in OCs can cause a number of cancers, and the contribution of hormone-based OCs to their development. Many researches were performed. One of side effects of OC use is the increased risk of cardiovascular illness for certain groups of women. New alternative methods of delivering hormones for contraception such as a topical patch, vaginal ring, and intrauterine delivery system appeared, but they are not researched for long-term safety and other effects.
Nowadays, two types of OCs are available in the United States. One type of pill known as “combined oral contraceptive” has natural female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) similar to the hormones produced by the ovaries. The second type of OC having only a type of progesterone available in the United States is known as the minipill.
The growth and development of the uterus at puberty is stimulated by estrogen, it leads to the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) to get thicker during the first half of the menstrual cycle, and influences breast tissue during the life, but particularly from puberty to menopause.
Progesterone produced during the last half of the menstrual cycle, prepares the endometrium to receive the egg. As soon as the egg is fertilized, progesterone secretion goes on, hindering release of additional eggs from the ovaries. That’s why progesterone is known as the “pregnancy-supporting” hormone, and it obtains good contraceptive effects. The man-made progesterone applied in OCs is known as progestogen or progestin.
It is believed that sex hormones can lead to some kinds of cancers. It is also believed that there is a connection between OC use and cancer risk. The possibility of having endometrial and ovarian cancers is lessened with the use of OCs; at the same time the risk of breast and cervical cancers becomes higher.
Oral contraceptives can lead to breast cancer risk. Natural hormones can influence the risk of developing breast and lead to high levels of hormones that last for long periods of time, such as beginning menstruation at an early age (before age 12), experiencing menopause at a late age (after age 55), the presence of a first child after age 30, and the absence of children.
It was researched that women, who take birth control pills, had an insignificant risk of breast cancer being developed. It was found out that women, who started using OCs as teenagers, were more prone to breast cancer. After giving up of OCs apply the risk of developing breast cancer is the same as for women who never applied birth control pills, no matter what family history of breast cancer, reproductive history, geographic area of residence, ethnic background, differences in study design, dose and type of hormone, or duration of use they have.
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