From the Journals: Some Oral Contraceptives May Increase the Risk for Breast Cancer

August 1, 2014 by

Women who take high-dose estrogen birth control pills may be increasing their risk for breast cancer, according to a recent report in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Researchers analyzed data from 1,102 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 21,952 controls and found a 50 percent increased risk for breast cancer among those who took oral contraceptives in the past year, compared with never or former users. The risk was confined to contraceptives containing high- and moderate-dose estrogen and a few other formulations. Those who took contraceptives containing low-dose estrogen did not experience increased risk. Data on contraceptive use were gathered from patients’ pharmacy records.

Read the full press release, which was reported in CBS News, TIME magazine, the Boston Globe, the Daily Telegraph, and Shape Magazine.