Stay Connected
Atlanta Black Star/Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

High-Dose Estrogen Birth Control Pills May Increase Risk of Breast Cancer, Study Shows

Posted byBy S.C Rhyne | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

New research shows that higher estrogen doses in some birth control pills may be linked to a higher risk for breast cancer.

In the study, women who took high-dose estrogen birth control pills were 50 percent more likely to develop breast cancer. Women using other formulations of the pill that contained low-dose estrogen were not found to be at an increased risk.

The study was led by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

The results are based on data about recent oral contraceptive use, in those who were diagnosed with breast cancer and 22,000 healthy women who served as the comparison group. The women were all between the ages of 20 and 49. Research looked at the years 1990 through 2009.

The study was published Friday in the journal Cancer Research.

“There are numerous oral contraceptive formulations,” explained lead researcher Dr. Elisabeth Beaber, a staff scientist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, to U.S. News and World Report. “Some of these formulations increase breast cancer risk while other formulations do not raise risk.”

According to Beaber, estrogen pills containing 50 micrograms ethinyl estradiol or 80 micrograms mestranol were associated with nearly a three-fold higher risk of breast cancer. Pills with 0.75 milligrams of norethindrone were also linked to this very high risk category.

Birth control pills with a progestin, called ethynodiol diacetate, were linked to about a 2.6 times higher risk of breast cancer.

While 30 to 35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol or 50 micrograms mestranol correlates with a 1.6 times higher risk.

But there are many options on the market containing a low dose of 20 micrograms of estrogen or less. This formulation doesn’t appear to increase the risk.

This is still not a definitive cause of breast cancer, as there are many other variables to consider, such as family history. Before considering a birth control method, a woman should always consult with her health care provider.

S.C. Rhyne is a blogger and novelist in New York City. Follow the author on Twitter @ReporterandGirl, http://Facebook.com/TheReporterandTheGirl and visit her website at http://www.TheReporterandTheGirl.com

Democracy needs journalism it can trust.

This election season, the stakes are higher than usual — and so is the pressure on newsrooms to soften their coverage, stay quiet, or just disappear. Independent reporting, the kind that answers to readers instead of advertisers or political pressure, matters more in a moment like this, not less.

For over 14 years, Atlanta Black Star has stayed independent and reader-funded. We have no corporate owner and no shareholders telling us what to cover or how to cover it. That independence is also our biggest vulnerability: nothing protects it except readers choosing to fund it directly.

Newspaper ad revenue has fallen more than 80% since 2005, and local newsrooms are closing at a rate of roughly two a week nationwide. When outlets go under in a moment like this, it's rarely the independent, reader-funded ones that get to stick around.

We know a request for support isn't why you came here. But without readers choosing to fund this work directly, the depth of reporting we can do at home and abroad shrinks along with everyone else's. If you're not in a position to give, that doesn't change how much we value you as a reader.

If you are able to, a recurring contribution does more for us than a single one-time gift, because it lets us plan the next investigation instead of just the next invoice. It takes about 30 seconds, no long form, no account. Thank you for continuing to support independent journalism and freedom of the press.

Give once Give monthly Support another way

Related Stories

Back to top