While the debate of whether women should be taking birth control or not as a healthy way to combat unwanted pregnancies has become more heated than ever, a new study in favour of women taking the drug promotes birth control use for reducing a medical condition that surprisingly has nothing to do with its intended purpose.
The study published by Jama Oncology shows that oral contraceptives play a significant role in women's hormone levels. To the point where they not only prevent pregnancy but also substantially affect the user's risk of cancer. It was found in the study that women who were taking birth control had a lower risk of getting both ovarian and endometrial cancer.
Though the study not only proved that the risk was lower, it showed that the longer those in the study took the pill, the lower their risk was. People who were taking birth control for 10 or more years had a 40% lesser risk of getting ovarian cancer opposed to women who had never taken the pill before. In regards to endometrial cancer, the result was 34% lower risk.
Another interesting aspect of the study was that surprisingly women who used the pill were obese, smoked and did not exercise had the lowest ovarian cancer risk. While more studies haven't been conducted to pursue why this is a trend, researchers speculate that it might have to do with the way that hormones associate birth control and tobacco.
This directly contrasts a notable study released late 2017 by the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that out of every 100,000 women studied, 13 per year were diagnosed with breast cancer directly caused by their BC. And that's even with low-dose birth control.
But corroborates a published article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society that found that menopausal women who take hormonal birth control for at least 10 years can benefit from an improved health. This finding was most strongly associated with women who had been taking birth control pills for more than 10 years in their youth.
At the end of the day, what the Jama Oncology study ultimately concludes is that the long-term use of birth control resulted in reduced risk of ovarian cancer across the board. No matter whether you smoke, don't exercise, drink or vice versa. The study definitely brings a new perspective on the controversial drug to the table that exceeds just the topic of unwanted pregnancy.
Source: TIME Magazine