Are birth control pills linked to breast cancer?
Women with the BRCA1 gene mutation (less than 10 percent of all diagnoses of breast cancer) appear to have an increased risk of early onset of breast cancer if they started taking the pills before 1975*, before age 30, or for more than five years. If you have a family history of breast cancer, you may be concerned. However, the vast majority of women do not appear to be at increased risk. This is according to a CARE (Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences) study published in 2002. The study had some limitations since it did not include women under 35 or risks associated with the growing use of oral contraceptives by women over 40. *Note that contraceptive pills prior to 1975 contained many times the amount of hormones used in today’s pills.
