Risk of receiving cancer from birth control
low
By Sonya Smith
On-line
Forty-Niner
Despite
birth control pills being 99 percent effective,
some health risks are associated with them.
There have been both positive and negative
reports in the past on whether birth control
pills cause cancer.
The
belief that oral contraceptives cause breast
cancer is contested by Dr. Herman Kattlove,
the medical editor for the American Cancer
Society for three years and former oncologist
-- the study of cancer -- at Long Beach
Memorial Hospital for 20 years.
"The
risk of breast cancer because of oral contraceptives
is very low," Kattlove said.
There
is a slight possibility of oral contraceptives
causing breast cancer in young women, Kattlove
said. However he said he feels there is
probably not a link. Although oral contraceptives
have also been linked with cervical cancer
in the past, Kattlove said there is no definite
link.
"There
is a lot of information that says the risk
of ovarian cancer is decreased due to the
use of oral contraceptives," Kattlove
said. "The risk of endometrium cancer
[cancer of the lining of the uterus] may
also be decreased due to the use of oral
contraceptives."
K.
Marie Anthony, nurse practitioner for Long
Beach Health and Human Services, agrees.
"I
believe that the benefits of oral contraceptive
pills far outweigh the risks." She
added that the lifestyle is what causes
most symptoms, not the birth control pills.
Birth
control pills are still beneficial in the
student population, said Janne Ruehl, registered
nurse and family nurse practitioner for
Student Health Services. Abdominal pain,
chest pain, headaches, visual changes and
leg pain are all symptoms associated with
birth control, Ruehl said.
At
the Student Health Center, women are screened
when receiving a birth control option. They
attend a Sexual Health Awareness Workshop,
then receive a pap smear, pelvic exam and
breast exam, and a doctor works with the
patient to find the best birth control option
for them, Ruehl said.
The
pill's main side effect continues to be
cardiovascular disease, according to the
American Cancer Society. Certain high-risk
groups are attributed with heart disease
such as, smokers, women over 35, obese women,
and women with a history of high blood pressure,
diabetes or elevated cholesterol levels,
according to the American Cancer Society.
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