The incidence of ovarian cancer in the US is expected to drop by 30% this year as the anti-cancer benefits of birth control pills become apparent in women. Women aged 50 and over are at the greatest risk of developing ovarian cancer, however previous research suggests that regular use of birth control pills reduce a woman’s risk of developing the disease by 30% to 50%. The sudden drop in cancer cases is expected to begin this year when women who began taking oral contraceptives when they first became available in the 1960’s are approaching an age where the risk of developing the disease is normally at its highest. Other research has also suggested that the hormones contained in birth control pills may also halve the risk of developing endometrial cancer.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 9th May 2002
