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Sex & fertility

Does the Pill cause breast cancer?

Q: With all the news about the HRT–cancer link, I am worried about whether the Pill can cause breast cancer. I have read that some women like Suzanne Somers blame their breast cancer on being on birth control pills for so many years.

A. So far, the data are fairly reassuring that birth control pills and the other methods of hormonal contraception that are currently on the market do not increase the risk of breast cancer when used by women of reproductive age.

But this is a question that certainly bears watching, as certain subgroups of women may fall in a different risk category. Some women stay on BCP’s for 15–20 years or more, and to date there just have not been any good studies evaluating such long-term use of birth control pills. More importantly, it is not recommended for women to use the Pill after menopause.

That said, the Pill has actually been shown to reduce the risk of uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. Hormones in the Pill are synthetic, but the formulas used in birth control pills do not appear to be as destructive to a woman’s reproductive system as the products commonly used in hormone replacement therapy, such as Provera and Premarin.

Nonetheless, we encourage women in perimenopause to consider non-hormonal birth control options for many reasons. For more information, please read our article on BCP’s in perimenopause.

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Our Personal Program is a great place to start

The Personal Program promotes natural hormonal balance with an at-home version of the approach we've used successfully at our clinic for over 21 years. The Program includes our medical-grade nutritional supplements, phytoendocrine support and dietary and lifestyle guidelines (including recipes). It's worked for thousands of women, and we're always just a free phone call away to help make sure it works for you, too.


We’re always happy to welcome new patients to our medical clinic in Yarmouth, Maine, for those who can make the trip. Click here for information about making an appointment.

 

Original Publication Date: 11/01/2005
Last Modified: 03/27/2008
Principal Author: Marcy Holmes, NP, Certified Menopause Clinician

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