Claim: Birth Control Causes Cancer

Question

If you use birth control, you might be wondering whether it affects your chances of getting cancer, IUDs, birth control pills, birth control shots, and others raise or lower your risk.

Comments

Misleading may be fair but fear-mongering is a step too far in my opinion. While there might not be total truth to the statement the fact that there is some truth means it is an important idea to get out there. There are millions of people around the world on birth control and if any of it causes cancer everyone needs to be aware of that.

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Adding an additional source for this is a great job of fact-checking, I think the more quality sources you can have the more credibility you can claim. The sources you added I think provide additional good information and aren't unnecessary additions.

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Using birth control pills can reduce ovarian cancer risk by up to 50%, and this protective effect can last for many years after stopping use. Similarly, hormonal IUDs, which thin the endometrial lining, can help prevent or even treat early-stage endometrial cancer. It's understandable to be concerned about how birth control might affect your cancer risk. Interestingly, certain types of birth control can actually lower the risk of some cancers. For example, birth control pills and hormonal IUDs have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers
1. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones/oral-contraceptives-fact-sheet
2. https://www.mskcc.org/news/birth-control-and-cancer-risk

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I like that you added additional sources to your claim. This further helped support your claim along with giving us a creditable source to look to. A summary to the links would also have been a nice touch.

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Although it has been disproved, there has been questions raised about whether birth Control causes cancer. Hormonal birth control, like the pill, might slightly raise the risk of certain cancers but it also lowers the risk of others, like ovarian and endometrial cancer.

Answer 1

The claim "Birth Control Causes Cancer" is an oversimplification and very misleading.

Trusted medical sources indicate that:

• Birth control has complex and varied effects on cancer risk.
• It significantly reduces the risk of some cancers.
• It may be associated with a slightly increased risk of certain cancers, but the overall risk is low.

Therefore, it's crucial to rely on information from reputable medical organizations and consult with a healthcare professional for personalized guidance. The question definetley deserves to be talked about but should be looked at with more facts instead of projecting wild claims like this one.

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-the-contraceptive-pill-increase-cancer-risk#:~:text=The%20contraceptive%20pill%20slightly%20increases,ovarian%20cancer%20and%20womb%20cancer.

Answer 2

While the article that the poster cites as their primary source does mention evidence of certain forms of birth control contributing to increased risk of cancer, the claim as a whole is a broad overgeneralization that misses many of the nuances included in the very article it cites, many of which even contribute to the opposing argument.

The validity of WebMD requires questioning to begin with as it is not a peer-reviewed journal.  With that said, the article explores the relation of cancer risk with multiple different forms of birth control and mentions instances of birth control leading to both increased risk of certain cancers (breast, cervical) and decreased risk of other cancers (endometrial, ovarian, colorectal).  Studies by the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Research Center of the UK back up these findings.

https://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/birth-control-cancer-risk

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/hormones-and-cancer/does-the-contraceptive-pill-increase-cancer-risk

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones/oral-contraceptives-fact-sheet#:~:text=Overall%2C%20however%2C%20these%20studies%20have,reduced%20(1%E2%80%933).

Answer 3

This statement is partially true but misleading, women on birth control are at greater risk of breast and cervical cancer however, the risk is reduced when using oral contraceptives for endometrial, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. Much of this research and evidence comes from observational studies from the National Cancer Institute. When looking at cervical cancer if a woman is taking oral contraceptives for over 5 years they have a high risk of getting cervical cancer compared to women who have not. According to cancer.gov, there is “10% increased risk for less than 5 years of use, a 60% increased risk with 5–9 years of use, and a doubling of the risk with 10 or more years of use. However, the risk of cervical cancer has been found to decline over time after women stop using oral contraceptives”. In terms of ovarian cancer, if a woman has ever  used an oral contraceptive they have a 30-50% reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer in comparison to those who have never taken oral contraceptives. The longer the contraceptive is taken the longer its protection increases causing up to 30 years of continuation after a woman has got off the contraceptive. 

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones/oral-contraceptives-fact-sheet 

Answer 4

This claim is exaggerated and misleading. There is not enough results of studies that prove that birth control causes cancer. There are many different types of cancer and there are multiple factors that can lead to the root of them. Stating that birth control causes cancer is extremely misleading and can guide people to fear their contraceptives. 

Oral contraceptives do not directly cause cancer. However, some studies have shown consistent evidence that there is an increased chance of developing breast/cervical cancer in women who use oral contraceptives. According to Cancer.Gov, "An analysis of data from more than 150,000 women who participated in 54 epidemiologic studies showed that, overall, women who had never used oral contraceptives had a slight (7%) increase in the risk of breast cancer compared with women who had never used oral contraceptives." Nevertheless, there are multiple types of oral contraceptives, and data from the Nurses' Health Study found that participants who took the specific "triphasic" pill showed the increased risk of breast cancer. The dose of hormones in the this type of pill is changed in three stages over the course of a woman's monthly cycle (Cancer.Gov). Additionally, Cancer.Gov states that those who have been using oral contraceptives for over 5 years have a higher risk of cervical cancer, "One study found a 10% increased risk for less than 5 years of use, a 60% increased risk with 5-9 years of use. [...] However, the risk of cervical cancer has been found to decline over time after women stop using oral contraceptives." There is little evidence that oral contraceptives directly cause cancer.

There are main breast cancer risks that are not oral contraceptives. These can include, a personal history of breast conditions, family history of breast cancer, reproductive history, weight, age, and more. According to Mirakind.Org, "your risk for breast cancer is due to a combonation of factors - hormonal, environmental, & lifestylle factors."

Overall, there are many risks for cancer; however oral birth control is not a main risk for cancer. This statement is misleading and is exaggerated.

Answer 5

The claim that has been made is misleading because although birth control may have side effects, this article seems to only pick on the birth control increase in the risk of certain cancers. On the other hand, birth control reduces the risk of certain cancers. Certain contraceptives have been proven to lower certain cancers, such as ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer.

The sources I have provided are trusted websites by the government explaining their studies and the differences between different contraceptives and either higher or lower risks of cancer. It has been researched that while on birth control, your chances for breast cancer are increased. According to M.D. Andrea Milbourne, “A lot of people think the pill always ups your risk of cancer, but that’s simply not true.” Milbourne has been with the cancer research company for 22 years and has proven to be a reliable source. 

Sources:

Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Answer 6

Before I decided if I think this claim is true or false, or exaggerated/misleading, I clicked on the website linked in the provided article "Birth Control and Cancer Risk: What You Should Know" by Camille Noe. The article says taking the birth control pills will slightly increase your risk of getting breast and cervical cancers, and the longer you use them the higher your risk will become. They do claim however, they lower your risk of getting endometrial, colon, and ovarian cancers. With IUD's the article says it can decrease your risk of ovarian, endometrial, pancreatic, and lung cancers, but if it contains levonorgestrel it can increase your risk of breast cancer. Lastly, the article says that they're not sure how the birth control shot can affect cancer risks, but some researchers have found it can slightly increase your risk. This article does seem like a pretty reliable source because it says it was medically reviewed, but I wanted to take a look at another source from the National Cancer Institute . This article specifically talks about the oral use of birth control. The article suggests that women who had taken the pill in the past had a 7% increase in risk of breast cancer, versus those currently taking the pill had a 24% increase. Another source I looked at was from the American Cancer Society. This source also suggests if you have, or are currently taking birth control pills you have a slight risk of breast cancer, and that the longer you take them the more likely you are to be at risk. After analyzing all the sources I think the claim "Birth control causes cancer" is misleading. In all of my sources they say it can increase your risk of cancer, but it doesn't say what the claim does, that if you take birth control you're going to get cancer. Therefore, I think the claim is exaggerated/misleading.