Researchers have found that using certain types of birth control can increase the likelihood that a woman will suffer from breast cancer at a young age. Prepare for this factoid to be splashed, sans nuance, on all sorts of whackadoodle political propaganda soon!
The study, published in the journal Cancer Research found a strong association between women who were diagnosed with breast cancer prior to age 50 and women who had recently used high or medium estrogen-dosage birth control pills. Here’s The Atlantic with more on that:
Overall, women who recently took high-estrogen-dose pills were 2.7 times more likely to have breast cancer, while those who took moderate-dosed pills were about 1.6 times more likely. There was no increased risk for the low-dose pills.
Two specific types of pill formulations increased cancer risk the most: Those containing ethynodiol diacetate (which are sold as Continuin or Femulen) increased the risk 2.6 fold, and triphasic combination pills containing 0.75 milligrams of norethindrone (sold as Ortho 75) increased the risk 3.1 fold.
Does this mean it’s time for women to run screaming to the nearest toilet and flush their pills away while saying the Rosary and begging a vengeful God for forgiveness for their whorishness? Of fucking course not.
High-dosage estrogen pills are almost never prescribed (less than 1% of women currently use them), and when they are, they’re usually selected specifically to combat an underlying medical problem like serious breakthrough bleeding. Researchers also found that after discontinuing use of high estrogen contraceptive pills, the elevated risk for breast cancer virtually vanishes.
And, you know, not using birth control pills carries a pretty significant risk of pregnancy, another medical condition that seriously injures or kills millions of women globally per year. And some types of birth control actually help women reduce their risk of developing other types of cancers of the female anatomy, like ovarian cancer, not to mention all the ways birth control helps women who need it to control menstrual symptoms to live more comfortable and happy lives. No matter what we do, death stalks us around every corner.
Happy Monday!
Image via Shutterstock