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American Morning

Study Says Oral Contraceptives Do Not Increase Woman's Chance of Breast Cancer

Aired June 27, 2002 - 08:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to talk health news, and birth control pills and breast cancer. Over the years, there have been a lot of questions about the two, not too many answers. That has forced women to assess the risks on their own. Now there's a new study out there. It says that oral contraceptives do not -- they do not -- increase a woman's chance of breast cancer. That's good news.

Joining us now to sort through the study, our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Sanjay, good morning.

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is a big study, and it is very welcome news. Now this is something that has been out there for a long time. A lot of people have been concerned about birth control pills and the effect or the risk of breast cancer associated with that.

Interesting statistic, if you were born since 1945, you're a woman, 80 percent chance of having used birth control pills, oral contraceptives at some point. So this is a very, very, very popular pill. And there's been a lot of speculation that because birth control pills have estrogen and estrogen has a risk factor for breast cancer, that maybe birth control pills also have a risk factor for breast cancer. As you said already, Daryn, that has played out not to be true. Here's some of the specifics of that as well. Really, no matter whether past or present use of oral contraceptives does not increase the risk.

Long-term use, no matter how long you've been using it. Some people say, well, I've been using it since I was a teenager. Doesn't matter, does not increase the risk. And certainly, beginning use at an early age does not seem to increase the risk. So these are all pretty good things.

KAGAN: So we can check breast cancer off the list. But just like with any kind of medication, there are some risks involved. And so what do you need to look at if you're trying to make that decision, do you want to go on the pill or not?

GUPTA: Right. And the pill's become a much better pill, certainly over the last 30, 40 years or so, in the sense that it's had lower doses of estrogen. It's become much more specific, trying to achieve its purpose through much lower doses of things, and achieving oral contraception. But there are still things. There are some side effects to the pill which people need to be concerned about, nausea and vomiting, bleeding between cycles, weight changes, migraine headaches and depression are all things that women are usually counseled about when they start taking the pill. But there are also more significant, serious adverse effects which can be associated with the pill.

Now these are rare, although could be very real, blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, which is just blood clots in the legs. Sometimes those can go break up when the legs go to the lungs, a pulmonary embolism. They can go to the brain, possibly cause a stroke. And they've also been associated with liver cancer, and that's sort of one of, again, pretty rare sort of consequence of birth control pills, but things that women need to think about, no question.

KAGAN: But of course there's lot of benefits of going on the pill.

GUPTA: There really are.

KAGAN: Besides contraception, or similar side effects.

GUPTA: It's a great contraception, 99 percent effective if used appropriately, used correctly, as prescribed. And there are other benefits of birth control pills as well. One of those serendipitous sort of findings that they have found with birth control pills that reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by 40 to 50 percent, a pretty significant risk. And we're not exactly sure. Doctors who have studies this are not exactly sure why that is, but it does reduce that risk as well.

KAGAN: And I guess like when we talk about any kind of medication, you should talk it with your doctor, with your OB-GYN, before you make that decision.

GUPTA: Yes, as always, no question. And like I said, there are all sorts of different formulations of the birth control pill. Some have more estrogen. Some have less estrogen. It's really important to monitor that with the doctor, no question, and it's also important to monitor other possible causes of breast cancer and things that you can avoid, share the family history with your doctor. That's important, the key to breast cancer, find it early. If you can find it early, you can cure somebody and save somebody's life, no question. Monthly self-breast exams. Mammograms for women over 40. If you have a strong family history, maybe even earlier than that.

Again, talk that over with your doctor. Certainly living a healthy lifestyle always an important thing with any type of cancer, including breast cancer.

KAGAN: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Good seeing you.

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