Birth Control Pill Link to Breast Cancer Confirmed by Study

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Taking the contraceptive pill at any stage in a woman's life increases the chance of breast cancer according to new research. Women who have taken the pill at any time have a slightly increased chance of developing the cancer.

Their risk rose by just over a quarter, 26%, compared with women who had never used the Pill. The study was presented at the third European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona.

The research was compiled from data collected from 103,000 women aged between 30 and 49 in Norway and Sweden.

It showed that women who had taken the pill over longer periods increased their risk of breast cancer by 58% compared with those who never used it.

However, the highest increased risk of 144%, was among women aged over 45 who were still using the Pill.

Dr Merethe Kumle, who carried out the research, told the BBC: 'It is clear that oral contraceptives increase a woman's risk of developing breast cancer, particularly when they are used in the later period of reproductive life.'

The women were originally contacted in 1991/92 and followed through to December 1999. During that time, 1,008 cases of breast cancer had been detected.

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