Listen to the news

Taking the progestogen-only minipill carries a small risk of breast cancer - comparable to that of combined oral contraceptive pills, say researchers cited by BTA.

The mini pill is primarily used as a contraceptive, but sometimes to help with painful and heavy menstruation.

Its characteristic is that it contains only one hormone - progestogen (a synthetic version of progesterone), while the combined pill also contains the hormone estrogen.

The study, published in the journal Public Libraries in Science - Medsyn, is one of the first major studies to assess the odds for users of this type of contraceptive.

It shows a small risk in older users that disappears within a few years after stopping the drug.

France will offer free contraception to all women up to the age of 25

On the other hand, birth control pills protect against some other types of cancer in women.

Women who take hormonal contraceptives have a lower risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, and this protection lasts for decades, say Oxford University researchers.

People should weigh all the pros and cons, scientists advise.

Breast cancer is relatively rare among younger women—the age group most likely to take the pill.

So the slight increase in risk during the time a woman uses hormonal contraceptives means only a small number of additional cases of the disease.

The researchers looked at nearly 30,000 patient records kept by family doctors.

They found that taking these pills for five years increased a woman's chance of developing breast cancer in the next 15 years by 20-30%, depending on her age at the time.

That sounds like a lot until you consider the absolute risk—for example, the number of additional cases of breast cancer for every 100,000 women taking the Pill: eight if they took the Pill in their late teens and 265 if they took the Pill in their late 30s. they are years.

Experts say the results are generally reassuring.

One of the researchers, from the University of Oxford, Professor Gillian Reeves, explained: "I don't see any indication that women should necessarily change their lifestyle.

The main goal of this research was to really fill a gap in our knowledge."

"These results show that the use of hormonal contraceptives is associated with a slightly increased risk of breast cancer before menopause.

The results are similar across different types of hormonal contraception, including progestogen-only contraceptives, for which less is currently known about associated risks," said Dr Michael Jones, from the Institute of Cancer Research in London.

Prof. Stephen Duffy, head of the Cancer Center at Queen Mary University of London, reassures: "10 years after stopping oral contraceptives there is no excess risk."

breast cancer

contraceptives