Oral Contraceptives and Breast Cancer
Question
Hello,
I’m very glad Google led me to your site! I am 24 years old. My mother, age 60, was diagnosed with breast cancer. My grand-grand mother also had this. We also have diabetes in our family’s descendants. I had some heart-palpitation problems every few years. I’ve used from time to time for a few months oral- contraceptive pills (Mercilon-ORGANON). I’ve seen the answer of Dr. Mary Davenport for Kerri’s question “What are the risks of the birth-control pills” and I’m considering not taking pills anymore, due to the hormones effects on health and influence on the appearance of cancer. My fiance suggested to try Implanon, or other upper-armed implant. My question is: how dangerous are these kind of implants and how high is the percentage of dangerous hormones they contain? Can you suggest the most adequate contraceptive method for me?
Thank you very much.
Answer
Last Updated: July 17, 2013
You may be interested in a book by Dr. Chris Kahlenborn, called “Breast Cancer: It’s Link to Abortion and the Birth Control Pill”, which is a thorough look at studies done on this topic. I quote from Dr. Kahlenborn’s book: “Ravinhar noted that women who have a family history of breast cancer and used oral contraceptives had a 5.2 fold risk over women who had a positive family and had no use of ocps”. Your concern is prudent, and logically would extend to all methods of delivering these hormones, whether it be orally, or implanted.
All medications carry risks, but in doing a risk/benefit evaluation, one must weigh the risks of the medication against the potential gain, or relative necessity. In some cases, the risks, though recognized, may be necessary if the medication is the best and only option for the treatment of a disease.
Oral contraceptives are not a necessary medication, are not being used to treat any disease you have, and there are healthy, equally effective alternatives available for family planning.
Professor Nancy Krieger, of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston recently commented on this in relation to a different, but related topic, in regards to concern over the impact of these same hormones as used in hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women: suggesting the “precautionary principle” be applied to any drug being studied for preventive medicine. That is, Krieger said, “YOU DON’T PRESCRIBE HEALTHY PEOPLE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DRUGS.”
When properly trained to monitor and interpret our own fertility, we can identify the proper time to achieve a pregnancy, and by avoiding this time can achieve the same effectiveness to avoid pregnancy as achieved by implants or oral contraceptives, without the use of drugs or devices! When women learn this fact, many are amazed that the information is not promoted with the same fervor as these strong—–and totally unnecessary—-medications!
Our site contains referrals for professionals who have the knowledge and training to help you become an expert in your own fertility, precisely identifying days of fertility and infertility. This information can be used to avoid pregnancy, with an effectiveness of 97-99%, and will also be invaluable in planning pregnancy, when you and your fiancé are ready to begin your family. Given your family history, it is an opportunity to actively participate in caring for your future health, while cooperating now with your fiancé in the current management of your fertility as a couple.
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