Yahoo Lifestyle Taking the Pill could halve your cancer risk
Taking the Pill for ten years could cut a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer by up to 45 per cent, with the benefits increasing the longer she stays on it, a new study has shown.
The study, led by researchers at Oxford University and published in the British Journal of Cancer, involved 327,000 women, and concluded that women who had taken the Pill were on average 15 per cent less likely to get ovarian cancer, and that after ten years, the risk was 45 per cent lower.
According to Cancer Australia, more than a thousand Australian women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, and while the survival rate has increased over the past 20 years, it is still poor in comparison with other forms of cancer, with only 40 per cent of patients expected to live beyond five years.
In addition, there is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer, so experts believe prevention is crucial. Naomi Allen, from Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, says ‘Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect and so prevention is key to saving women suffering this disease.’
The study also showed that the risk of ovarian cancer drops by up to 30% with each baby a woman has. It is believed that the drop is caused by high levels of oestrogen, which increases both during pregnancy, and when taking the Pill.
However, while this is a big win for the contraceptive pill, experts caution that long-term usage has been linked to a slightly increased risk of developing breast and cervical cancer, and that some of the newer types of Pill may double the risk of blood clots and deep vein thrombosis, so it is important to discuss these things with your doctor before taking the Pill for the first time.
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