The Pill and Cancer: How a Study Was Misused
A Study Caused Worry
Birth control pills are very common. Millions of women use them every day (Hormonal Contraception). These pills use hormones to stop pregnancy. They also help with other health problems.
In 2017, scientists in Denmark did a huge study. The study looked at hormonal birth control. It checked if these products raised the risk of breast cancer. The study found a small link.
When this news came out, many people became scared. News headlines and social media posts spread fear. They said, “Birth control raises cancer risk by 20 percent!”
This statement is not wrong. But it is not the whole truth. It is only part of the story. The way the number was used caused great confusion. The study’s real findings are much more reassuring. The true risk is very, very low for most users. Hormonal Contraception
What Did the Scientists Actually Find? Hormonal Contraception
The Danish study was very large. It followed nearly 1.8 million women. The women were between 15 and 49 years old. The scientists watched them for about 11 years. They checked who used birth control. They also checked who got breast cancer. Hormonal Contraception
They looked at all types of hormonal birth control. This included the pill. It also included implants and hormone-releasing coils (IUDs). Hormonal Contraception
The main finding was a number. This number showed a slightly higher chance of breast cancer. They called this the relative risk.
- The study found that women using hormonal birth control had about a $20\%$ higher chance of breast cancer. Hormonal Contraception
This number—$20\%$—is the one that caused the fear. But it is a misleading number on its own. It ignores a key fact. This key fact is the woman’s starting risk.
The Big Mistake: Relative vs. Absolute Risk Hormonal Contraception
The biggest problem in the news reports was using the wrong number. They focused on the relative risk. They should have focused on the absolute risk.
Think of it this way:
- Relative Risk is the percent increase. It tells you how much higher your risk is compared to a group of people who do not use birth control. A 20% increase sounds huge.
- Absolute Risk is the real number. It tells you how many extra cases actually happen. This is the number that matters most for a woman’s health. Hormonal Contraception
The Real-Life Numbers Hormonal Contraception
Breast cancer is very rare in young women. For women who do not use birth control, the risk is already very low.
The study showed the true increase in simple numbers:
- For every 100,000 women who did not use birth control, about 54 would get breast cancer each year. This is the starting risk.
- For every 100,000 women who did use hormonal birth control, about 67 would get breast cancer each year. Hormonal Contraception
The real difference is tiny. It is only 13 extra cases out of 100,000women.
If you use birth control for one year, the chance of getting an extra breast cancer case is about 1 in 7,700. This is an extremely low number. This small number is the absolute risk.
How Social Media Distorted the Facts Hormonal Contraception
The distortion happened because people ignored the absolute risk. They only looked at the scary headline: 20% Higher Risk.”
- Removing Context: Headlines and social media posts did not explain that breast cancer is rare in young women. They made it sound like the risk went from 50% to 70%. This is false. The risk went from 0.054% to 0.067%. The real chance of getting cancer remained tiny.
- Using Fear: The short format of platforms like TikTok makes it easy to share scary numbers without explaining them. This caused many women to panic. They worried their safe and needed medication was suddenly dangerous.
- Ignoring Temporary Risk: The study also showed that the risk is temporary. After a woman stops taking hormonal birth control, her risk goes back down. After about five years of stopping the pill, the risk returns to the same level as women who never used it. The misinformation did not mention this fact.
- Counting Minor Cases: Experts also point out a problem with the case counting. The study counted not only severe breast cancers. It also counted very early, non-invasive growths. These are called in situ tumors. Many experts say these tumors might never become life-threatening cancer. Including them makes the overall risk seem higher than the true danger.
The Other Side of the Coin: Proven Benefits Hormonal Contraception
The most important thing the news reports left out is the huge benefits of hormonal birth control. Doctors stress that the benefits are much greater than the very small risk.
Birth control pills have many positive effects on health. They are proven to reduce the risk of other cancers.
- Ovarian Cancer: The pill greatly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. This protection can last for many years after a woman stops taking the pill.
- Endometrial Cancer: This is cancer of the lining of
- Other Benefits: The pill also helps with severe menstrual pain. It helps with heavy bleeding. It can treat acne. It gives women control over when they get pregnant.
An unexpected pregnancy is a much larger health risk than the small increase in breast cancer risk. Therefore, doctors almost always tell women that the benefits of birth control are still much stronger than the tiny risk of breast cancer.
Newer Studies: Not All Hormones Are the Same
Since the 2017 Danish study, scientists have learned more. A large Swedish study in 2025 looked at 2 million women. It confirmed the original finding. But it added an important detail.
The new study found that the risk is slightly different for different hormones.
- Some hormones, like desogestrel, showed a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.
- Other hormones, like those in the Depo-Provera injection, showed no increase in risk.
- Another hormone, levonorgestrel (used in some coils and pills), was linked to a lower risk than desogestrel. Hormonal Contraception
This is an important finding. It means doctors now have better information. They can help women choose the safest option for their personal health history. Women who already have a higher natural risk of breast cancer can choose a formula with a lower associated risk.
Hormonal Birth Control
The big studies on hormonal birth control and breast cancer are not a reason to panic. They confirm what doctors already knew. Hormonal birth control is safe and effective for most women.
The risk of breast cancer is raised by a small percentage. But because breast cancer is rare in young women, the absolute risk of getting sick remains extremely small. The small risk is temporary. It goes away after a woman stops using the hormones. Hormonal Contraception
The media and social media distorted the truth by using only the scary percentage. They did not give the full context. It is important to remember the big picture. Hormonal contraceptives prevent unwanted pregnancies. They reduce the risk of other deadly cancers.
Women should talk to their doctor. They should use this study’s information to make the best choice. They should not stop using their medicine just because of scary headlines. The small risk of cancer does not change the fact that these medicines are very important for women’s health.
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