A major European study found that the risk of ovarian cancer is significantly diminished for women who take birth control pills for a decade or longer.
The study, published this week in the British Journal of Cancer, included more than 300,000 women enrolled in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition. The women were taking the combination estrogen-progesterone oral contraceptive pill.
Researchers found that 59% of the women reported taking oral contraceptives at some point in their life. Among ever-users of the pill, the risk of ovarian cancer was 15%. However, for women who had taken the pill a decade or more, the risk of ovarian cancer was reduced by 45%.
This study supports previous research, which suggests that the pill can influence cancer risk by altering hormone levels in the body. For women who have a family history of ovarian cancer, this is a significant development. Plus, with the onset of genetic testing, these results are also beneficial for those women who are at higher risk for ovarian cancer even without a family history of the disease.
Sources: British Journal of Cancer, HealthNews.