Scientists have discovered that using oral contraceptive can provide long-term protection against womb cancer and the longer it is used the greater the reduction in risk.
Valerie Beral, a professor at Britain’s Oxford University who co-led the study said “The strong protective effect of oral contraceptives against endometrial cancer – which persists for decades after stopping the pill – means that women who use it when they are in their 20s or even younger continue to benefit into their 50s and older, when cancer becomes more common.”
“Previous research has shown that the pill also protects against ovarian cancer. People used to worry that the pill might cause cancer, but in the long term the pill reduces the risk of getting cancer.”
The study published in The Lancet Oncology journal, the research team pooled data on 27,276 women with endometrial cancer in 36 studies from North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and South Africa using virtually all the epidemiological evidence ever collected on the effect of oral contraceptives.
They found that for every 5 years on the pill, the risk of endometrial cancer reduces by about a quarter.
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