Because Being a Woman Isn’t Scary Enough: Now Your Birth Control Could Cause Breast Cancer

Have breasts? Trying not to get pregnant? A new study from Denmark has revealed that hormonal birth control of all types can contribute to breast cancer, which is frightening news to the legions of women who choose these methods to prevent conception.

This new research expanded beyond high-dose birth control pills studied in years past to include low-dose contraceptive pills, IUDs and implants, ultimately dispelling hopes that these lower dosages pose less risk.

Lina Mørch, the University of Copenhagen research epidemiologist who led the study, cited “a roughly 20 percent increased risk [of breast cancer] among women who currently use some type of hormonal contraception.”

While that sounds like a significant (and terrifying) increase in risk, epidemiologists actually consider it small. Mia Gaudet, an epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society clarifies this, saying, “A 20 percent increase of a very small number is still a very small number.”

This means that the overall risk is comparable with the extra breast cancer risk posed by physical inactivity, excessive weight gain, or drinking one or more alcoholic drinks per day.

In accompanying commentary, epidemiologist David Hunter confirms that the highest occurrence of breast cancer cases in this research were among women using oral contraceptives long term and/or into their 40s. Yet he still believes the risk should be weighed against the potential benefits of using hormonal birth control, which include reducing the risk of ovarian, endometrial and potentially even colorectal cancer.

“So, many calculations suggest that the use of oral contraceptives actually prevents more cancers than it causes” he says.

But what does this mean for black women, who are disproportionately affected by breast cancer (PDF) and cancers, in general, including cervical and colorectal? Specifically, black women have a 6 percent lower risk of a breast cancer diagnosis than white women, but a 14 percent higher risk of cancer death. In fact, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed …

Please read original article- Because Being a Woman Isn’t Scary Enough: Now Your Birth Control Could Cause Breast Cancer