Global study brings hormonal contraceptives under scrutiny

A massive study of more than 2 million women has “confirmed that increased risk of breast cancer was associated with hormonal contraceptive use.”

However, researchers still insist that the benefits of the pill might just outweigh the risk it poses.

Researchers found that women who took birth control that contains only one hormone, a form of progesterone called desogestrel, were at a 21% increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Whereas those on combination pills had a 12% higher risk, with a study published in JAMA Oncology stating, “The finding that desogestrel may increase breast cancer risk more than other progestins is a novel finding that, to our knowledge, has not been previously reported.”

Given that the combination pills presented a lower risk of breast cancer, researchers wrote, “These results also suggest that estrogen may attenuate progestin’s harmful effect.”

Cleveland clinic elaborates that the minipill, or a progestin-only pill, works by thickening cervical mucus (making it harder for sperm to travel into the uterus), stopping ovulation and thinning your uterine lining, preventing a fertilized egg from implanting.

The minipill comes in a pack with 28 “active” pills; the combination pills have three weeks of active pills and one week of inactive, or placebo, pills.

The researchers noted that, while further study is needed, the “statistically significant” risks “should be considered in the broader context of the well-established benefits” of taking hormonal contraceptives.

"These benefits include prevention of unintended pregnancies, which are associated with increased maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as their protective effects against ovarian and endometrial cancers. Collectively, these considerations highlight the importance of personalized contraceptive counseling that takes into account individual risk profiles and preferences,” the research mentions.