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  • Title: The myth about contraceptives and breast cancer.
    Author: Ibekwe J.
    Journal: Dly Times; 1993 Mar 18; ():7. PubMed ID: 12179509.
    Abstract:
    Science and modern medicine accord us many advantages, e.g., contraceptive drugs, but many people still do not use them. Contraceptive drugs include oral contraceptives and injectables. OCs are very effective and are associated with minor side effects (e.g., mood changes, breast tenderness, nausea, and changes in weight, mild headache, and spotting between periods), perhaps explaining why they are one of the most often used contraceptive in essentially every country. Women who smoke; are 35 years old; or either have or have a family history of hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and use OCs are at higher risk of a cardiovascular episode. On the other hand, OCs protect against ovarian and endometrial cancers. Research does not yet confirm or disprove their effect on breast cancer development. OCs appear not to be linked to breast cancer through age 59. Yet, studies of women 45 years old suggest that OCs increases the breast cancer risk in these women who had their first menses before age 13 and used OCs for a long time before their first pregnancy. OCs may facilitate growth of breast tumors that other causes activated, and therefore, do not likely increase the overall risk. Researchers recognize the death of knowledge about breast cancer development, so they call for more research, including basic molecular, cellular, and biochemical studies. In Nigeria, breast cancer is rare, while deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth are common, indicating that OC use can prevent many female deaths. Prolonged breast feeding; later age at first menses; earlier age at menopause; earlier age at first full-term pregnancy larger families; low fat, high fiber diets; and thinness, all of which are common in developing countries, have a protective effect against breast cancer. Further, women in developing countries begin OC use later than women in developed countries.
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