What about cancer?

The Pill does affect your risk of certain types of cancer, and when you first decide to go on it, you should be told about this.

But it’s important for you to realise that the Pill actually reduces your chances of getting some cancers – while it increases the risk of others. As far as we know at the present (2005).

The Pill reduces your chance of getting:

cancer of the ovary

cancer of the womb (the endometrium)

possibly cancer of the bowel – a 60 per cent reduction in risk has been claimed, though this is still not proven.

The Pill increases your risk of getting:

breast cancer

cervical cancer – though this is almost entirely preventable by regular smear tests

liver cancer – though this is very rare.

The increase in breast cancer risk is now believed to be around 25 per cent - while you are actually on the Pill. But after you stop using the oral contraceptive, the risk soon reduces. Ten years after stopping the Pill, your risk is about the same as anyone else’s.

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09/08/2010 07:17 AM

Search for Legionnaires' source

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Statins 'may cut arthritis risk'

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09/07/2010 06:47 PM

Call for morning sickness action

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09/07/2010 02:07 AM

ME 'virus link' found in children

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09/06/2010 06:01 PM

UK radiotherapy 'lagging behind'

Too few UK cancer patients are receiving state-of-the-art radiotherapy care, experts from Cancer Research UK say.

09/07/2010 06:16 AM

Gaps persist in cancer survival

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09/07/2010 04:30 AM

'Genetic link' to breast cancer

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09/06/2010 03:00 PM

Bipolar 'not linked to violence'

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09/07/2010 06:32 AM

NHS in Wales faces £380m cutbacks

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