Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Ills of the Pill – Higher Risk of Breast Cancer

Since oral contraceptives were introduced some 30 years ago, tess haven’t generally linked them to an increased risk of breast cancer. But a study by the Department of Epidemiology of the Netherlands Cancer Institute finds that young woman who have taken “the pill” for more than four years do face a greater risk of breast cancer. The study compared 918 women between the ages of 20 and 54 with breast cancer to the same number of women randomly selected.
The use of oral contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in both the youngest age bracket (below 36) and the oldest (over 46) – but not those in between. Women in the youngest group who had taken the pill for your years or more – especially those who started before age 20 – faced twice the risk of their contemporaries who had taken it for a shorter period.

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