Older generation birth-control pills may have significantly increased breast cancer risk among women with a family history of the disease.
In a study of 426 families, investigators found that oral contraceptive use tripled breast cancer risk among women with sisters or mothers who had the disease.
The risk was confined to women who used "the pill" prior to 1975.
Since then, birth control pills have evolved to include lower doses of estrogen and progestin, which may make them safer in terms of breast cancer, researchers suggest, although this will likely not be definitively known for years to come.
The breast cancer link was strongest among women with five or more cases of breast or ovarian cancer in their families. In these women, birth control pill use was linked to an 11-fold increase in breast cancer risk.
An editorial accompanying the study notes that "the use of oral contraceptives needs to be considered on an individual basis," taking into account all of a woman's health concerns.
The Journal of the American Medical Association October 11, 2000;284:1791-1798, 1837-1838
Estrogen can clearly cause breast cancer. There is just no way around it. I cannot think of one clinical indication for birth control pills and believe that no one should use them. There are other options for contraception that are far safer and have virtually no dangerous side effects.
There are, however, indications for women to take estrogen. Be aware that the synthetic progestins in birth control pills were never designed for optimum female health and should be avoided at all costs.
Women who have their ovaries surgically removed usually seem to benefit from natural estrogen. However, it is best if the estrogen has two or three of the main estrogens, which are estriol, estradiol, and estrone. This is usually available from most any compounding pharmacist. It should also be balanced with natural progesterone.
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