Study: Contraceptive pill lowers ovarian cancer risk

Women taking oral contraceptive pills may have a lower risk of ovarian cancer, according to new findings from Oxford University.

The research – which examined the evidence from 45 studies on ovarian cancer in 21 countries worldwide – found that taking birth control pills for 15 years or more cut the risk of developing the disease by half.

According to the Press Association, the Collaborative Group on Epidemiological Studies of Ovarian Cancer found that in high-income countries, women who take oral contraceptives for a period of ten years managed to reduce their risk of developing ovarian cancer before age 75 from 12 per 1,000 to eight per 1,000 women.

“There is now substantial evidence showing that for most women the benefits of taking the contraceptive pill are far greater than any of the risks,” Julia Bentley, chief executive of the Family Planning Association told the Guardian.

The newspaper reported that in the UK, 25 per cent of women between the ages of 16 and 49 take oral contraceptives.