Does anyone ever thought about that hormonal birth control might be one of the causes of breast cancer?

Its a big question mark based on general public that honestly if we have even think about that the processes of birth control we following with blind believe can move us toward the risk of breast cancer, means the process of stopping new birth are dragging humans towards death trap?

While these medications do raise the risk of developing breast cancer, the likelihood is very low for women under the age of 40.

WASHINGTON: A recent study found a fractionally raised risk of breast cancer for all hormonal birth control, including a well progestogen-only pills.

The study's authors emphasized that it is essential to balance the advantages of hormonal birth control, including the protection they offer against other types of female cancer, against the higher likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Hormonal contraceptives, such as birth control pills, patches, and rings, are extensively used to prevent pregnancy. Nevertheless, certain studies have revealed that these contraceptives may raise the risk of some forms of cancer, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer. The danger appears to be largest for women who have taken hormonal contraceptives for more than five years, and for those who started taking them before the age of 20. While the risk of cancer is still relatively low, it is important for women to discuss the potential risks with their healthcare provider before starting or continuing to use hormonal contraceptives.

A higher risk of breast cancer has been linked to two-hormone, or combined, contraceptives, which are using both hormones and progestogen.

Although research on the correlations among progestogen-only contraceptives and breast cancer has been sparse, their use has substantially risen in the last 10 years.

Why there was a need of this study to be done?

According to a 2019 UN study, 842 million women use contemporary methods of contraception globally.

The prevalence of specific contraceptive methods varies widely globally. It has evolved over time as a result of modifications to laws, healthcare systems, and access to different treatments, as well as the introduction of new technologies.

The use of combined oral contraceptives has long been known to slightly increase the risk of breast cancer. However, there is currently little information available about the effectiveness of progestogen-only contraceptives.

In some nations, the use of contraceptives has significantly increased over the past 10years. For instance, in England, combined oral contraceptives and oral progestogen-only contraceptives, also referred to as the mini-pill, received almost equal amounts of prescriptions in 2020.

According to researchers, taking a progestogen-only "mini pill" seems to have a similar low risk of breast cancer to taking combined oral contraceptives.

The mini-pill is what?

The mini-pill, which is typically used as a contraceptive but can occasionally be used to treat painful, heavy periods:

1. consumed regularly, without even a break in between pill packs, can prevent pregnancy by more than 99%

2. will not offer protection from diseases that are transmitted sexually.

3. while the combined pill also contains oestrogen, only one hormone, progestogen (a synthetic form of progesterone), is present.

4. can be a great substitute for people who are unable to use estrogen levels, such as those who are breastfeeding or who have a higher risk of blood clots.

5. contains just one hormone, progestogen (a synthetic version of progesterone), while the combined pill also contains oestrogen. According to the study, which was flagged up in the medical journal PLOS Medicine, the chance of developing breast cancer in women using hormonal contraceptives that contained both progestogen and oestrogen was nearly similar to that of women using progestin only.

The study found that women who use hormonal birth control have a 20–30% greater chance of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not. 

The results echo those that were previously reported, including in a sizable study from 1996.

Regardless of the delivery method — oral pill, IUD, implant, or injection — or whether it is a combined pill or a progestogen alone, the risk is essentially the same.

The authors of the study calculated the absolute excess risk associated with hormonal contraceptives, taking into account that the risk of breast cancer rises with age.

As per them, eight cases of breast cancer per 100,000 women who have used hormonal contraceptives for five years between the ages of 16 and 20 represented eight cases.

This was 265 instances for every 100,000 people aged 35 to 39."Very slight increase in risk in absolute numbers."

Nobody would like to know that a medicine they are taking will start raising their risk of breast cancer by 25%, as according co-author and Oxford University professor of statistical epidemiology Gillian Reeves.

We're only talking about a very slight increase in risk overall, according to Reeves.

These increases in breast cancer risk must, of course, be viewed in light of the numerous advantages of using hormonal contraceptives, she continued.

Not only for birth control, but also because we are aware that oral contraceptives offer significant, long-term protection against other female cancers like ovarian and endometrial cancer.

The research further demonstrated, along with other studies, that a woman's chance of getting breast cancer decreases in the years following her cessation of hormonal birth control.

The results, according to Stephen Duffy, a professor at Queen Mary University of London who was not involved in the study, were "reassuring in that the effect is modest."

In the United Kingdom, where the use of progestogen-only contraceptives is now as common as the combined method, the study included data from nearly 10,000 women under the age of 50 who developed breast cancer between 1996 and 2017.

Reeves cited a number of reasons for the rising popularity of progestogen-only contraceptives.

They are suggested for breastfeeding mothers, women with a potential risk for cardiovascular issues, and smokers over the age of 35

Reeves suggested that the cause might simply be that more women are using hormonal contraceptives later in life.

Consequently, they are inherently more at risk for the additional conditions for which combined contraceptives increase risk.