US EditionBreast Cancer and Birth Control: A Huge New Study Shows How Science Can Be Distorted
The study found a 24% relative increase in breast cancer risk linked to hormonal contraceptives, equating to about 13 extra cases per 100,000 women per year.
- On Oct. 30, a Swedish study published in JAMA Oncology found researchers tracked over 2 million women under 50 for more than a decade and observed a small, short-term rise in breast cancer among current or recent users.
- Amid rapid spread of misinformation online, KFF Health News coverage says it complicates clear messaging as reproductive health advocates warn social media often strips nuance from complex findings and note 85% risk of unintended pregnancy without contraception.
- About a 24% higher rate among women who used hormonal birth control was reported, equating to roughly 13 extra cases per 100,000 women annually, with risk higher for desogestrel but lower for medroxyprogesterone acetate injections, levonorgestrel, and drospirenone.
- Doctors say the study won't change how they advise patients, emphasizing individualized counseling and shared decision-making that considers modest, short-term risk and patient values, Katharine White said.
- The paper's findings are consistent with prior large studies and meta-analyses, while reproductive health advocates caution that social media platforms like TikTok flood incomplete warnings, complicating public understanding.
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47 Articles
Broomfield Enterprise
Breast cancer and birth control: A huge new study shows how science can be distorted
By Céline Gounder, KFF Health News As misinformation about women’s health spreads faster than ever, doctors say new research on the risks of hormonal birth control underscores the challenge of communicating nuance in the social media age. The massive study, which was conducted in Sweden and tracked more than 2 million teenage girls and women under age 50 for more than a decade, found that hormonal contraception remains safe overall, but also fou…
Concerns about birth control pills are spreading once again among young people – this time after a new Swedish study that has had a big impact on social media. Youth clinics around the country have been flooded with calls. “We have been inundated with questions,” says Susanne Jonsson, a midwife in Eskilstuna.
WHO scientists found that contraceptive pill is related to the development of cervical cancer.
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