The pill provides 'lifelong protection against some cancers'

Conclusion The research is in line with other studies that have reported on cancer risk and the pill. This study had the advantage of being both very large and having the longest follow-up period of any study of the effects of the pill on cancer. But we shouldn't lose sight of this study's limitations. It's not possible to say that taking the pill prevented women from getting certain cancers. It may be the case, but other confounding factors could be involved. The researchers took account of some basic factors that affect cancer risk, but not others like diet, physical exercise, weight and alcohol use. Many of the women in the study were lost to follow-up, mainly because they moved away or otherwise lost touch with their GP before they could be flagged for the cancer registries. But it's unlikely that this would affect pill users or non-pill users differently. Hormonal contraception – and women's use of it – has changed a lot since the study began in 1968. The composition and dose of hormones used in the combined oral contraceptive pill has changed considerably since they were first introduced. This means we can't be sure the effects of the contraceptive pills of almost 50 years ago would be the same as those of today's pills. This study didn't assess other types of combined contraception, such as the contraceptive patch, and didn't look at progestogen-only contraceptives, such as the "mini-pill", implants, injections and intrauterine systems. This means ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Pregnancy/child Source Type: news