You may have heard that hormonal birth control (HBC) slightly increases your risk of breast cancer (it increases whatever your personal risk is by about 20%) but decreases your risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial or uterine cancer. How are cancer and hormonal birth control connected? And do decreased risks of certain cancers outweigh the increased risks of breast cancer and cervical cancer for HBC users?
Proper informed consent between doctor and patient is essential to patients feeling prepared for whatever risks may come from the drugs they decide to take. Unfortunately, too often women who suffer birth control side effects, including cancer, say they didn’t hear these risks mentioned by their doctor.
References
Click a subtopic below to view scientific references for each of the following cancers and their connections to birth control use.
This page was last updated on March 21, 2024.
For more information on the link between cancer risks and birth control use, see the articles below.
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Birth control and cervical cancer: What’s the link?
By Kristen Curran • January 4, 2024HPV is the #1 sexually transmitted infection worldwide -
How can sports respect the female body?: A response to TIME magazine, Part II
By Madison Ayers • November 29, 2023Why female athletes may benefit from cycle syncing -
How post-pill amenorrhea exposes hormonal birth control’s inability to fix reproductive health problems
By Jasmine Adams • June 15, 2023It’s an all-too-familiar story: a young woman with an irregular cycle goes to the doctor and ends up… -
Skin changes during pregnancy: What’s common and what merits a trip to your doctor?
By Madison Ayers • June 2, 2023It’s no secret that pregnancy brings with it a whole host of physical changes—some of them unwelcome. During… -
Why have my periods stopped? Exploring the causes of secondary amenorrhea
By Jasmine Adams • March 17, 2023In part 1 of this 3-part series on amenorrhea, I covered the causes of primary amenorrhea, which occurs… -
‘Adrenal fatigue’ may not be real, but HPA axis dysregulation definitely is
By Anne Marie Williams and Taryn DeLong • February 10, 2023I started hearing about “adrenal fatigue” in the last year or so, mostly via Instagram. I knew the… -
Yes, perineal massage might sound weirdly “crunchy.” Here’s why you should consider it anyway.
By Cassondra Moriarty • July 15, 2022I still remember late in my first pregnancy when my midwife instructed me on how to do perineal… -
The Fourth Trimester Guidebook: Postpartum Healing and Exercise
By Anne Marie Williams, RN, BSN • January 28, 2022Author’s Note: neither Natural Womanhood nor I personally have any connection to nor affiliation with any site or… -
FAM Basics: Basal Body Temperature (BBT)
By Anne Marie Williams, RN, BSN • August 12, 2021Have you ever had a friend who was trying to get pregnant say they’ve been “taking their temperature”…