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Hormonal contraceptive methods such as pills, patches, rings or injectables are very effective and popular as contraceptives, but they can also have other health benefits.
Most of the more than 100 million women who use hormonal contraceptives daily are prescribed them for birth control, but a new study says that estrogen-containing contraceptives can also reduce the risk of ovarian cancer, even years after stopping treatment.
While previous research has shown a lower risk of cancer with birth control, most studies have focused on older "combined" contraceptive formulations that have higher estrogen levels than most other formulations. New combined hormonal contraceptive options usually contain lower amounts of estrogen, in combination with new progestins.
"The reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer observed with the birth control pill has been known in gynecology for years and this study adds hormonal IUDs to this list," said Jennifer Ashton, ABC's senior medical correspondent. News and gynecologist in exercise. I said. "Because we do not have an ovarian cancer screening test and it affects 1 in 70 women, this is something women need to know in order to talk to their provider. to weigh the risks that has an advantage in medicine, and that's no different. "
To test new forms of contraception and their potential relationship with the risk of ovarian cancer, Danish and Scottish researchers reviewed the records of more than 1.8 million women to whom it was prescribed hormonal contraceptives in Denmark between the ages of 15 and 49 years. -annual 1995-2014.
The results were surprising. The use of combined hormonal contraception at any time or in any form was linked to a much lower risk of ovarian cancer.
The researchers estimated that hormonal contraception prevented 21% of ovarian cancers in the study population. Lower rates were seen in women who used contraception for longer periods. However, even women who had stopped using contraception had a lower risk than those who did not use it at all.
Overall, women in the study who had used hormonal contraceptives for a given period had a 34% lower risk of ovarian cancer. Women who had been using them for more than 10 years had a 74% lower risk.
"Based on our findings, contemporary combined hormonal contraceptives are still associated with a reduced risk of ovarian cancer in women of childbearing age, with patterns similar to those seen with older combined oral products. ".
The effects were not seen in women who used only progestin-only contraceptives, but researchers believe that there was not enough data in this small group of women; previous research has shown similar benefits for progestin-only methods.
Compared to older studies, these results showed a slightly stronger link. However, this could also be related to the age of women in the study; women aged 50 and older were excluded from the analysis and ovarian cancer is most often diagnosed in midlife and older women. As a result, the study can not say whether the use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with ovarian cancer later in life. In addition, the researchers assumed that women who had been prescribed hormonal contraceptives used it for the duration of their prescriptions.
Ovarian cancer is less common in women than many other cancers. About 21,000 cases were diagnosed in 2015, compared with 240,000 cases of breast cancer.
However, ovarian cancer often turns out to be fatal – in part because women often do not know that they have it at later stages of cancer when symptoms become more obvious. According to the American Cancer Society, only about 47% of American women survive five years after diagnosis.
Currently, there is no consistent approach to help prevent ovarian cancer in women at risk. Maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding hormone replacement therapy after menopause are some of the lifestyle choices that can reduce risk.
Although the contraceptive pill may be effective in this particular situation, it carries serious risks and side effects, some of which include nausea, blood clots, and the appearance of other cancers.
For women at high risk of developing ovarian cancer, doctors may recommend removing the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Tubal ligations and hysterectomies, which remove the uterus and sometimes surround the reproductive organs, can also reduce the risk. But these surgeries are not usually performed for the prevention of ovarian cancer alone.
Although there is no specific preventative treatment recommended to help prevent ovarian cancer, doctors have other resources, such as genetic counseling or the like. education, to develop a safe and effective plan.
Dr. Jonathan Steinman is a physician specializing in radiology and a contributor to the ABC News Medical Unit.
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