Birth control pills carry a number of risky side effects, the most extreme being blood clots and the less dangerous including weight gain. However, they also have many benefits for the female body, including a lowered risk of ovarian cancer.
Taking oral contraceptives can reduce the pains of the menstrual cycle, lower headache pain, and regulate emotions. A study at Oxford University, along with researchers at the American Cancer Society, found that the longer a woman took birth control pills, the lower her risk of ovarian cancer.
Ovarian cancer usually has a very poor prognosis, especially in older women. The disease is hard to detect until it is in its later stages, for the symptoms include abdominal swelling and digestive problems, which are easily mistaken for other disorders.
The study claimed that if women continue to use oral contraceptives at the current levels, 30,000 cases of ovarian cancer could be prevented worldwide each year. The protection from the pill seems to start within a year of taking it and increases over time.
However, birth control pills have been linked to other cancers, such as cervical and breast. Researchers believe that the pills only slightly and temporarily increase the risk, but often occur in women that show no other risk factors (young, healthy, and active women).
The benefits were shown to continue up to 30 years or more after women stopped taking the pills. Also, even low-dose pills are protective.
Birth control pills affect all women differently, and you should consult your doctor to make sure there is a safe pill for you. The American Cancer Society is not recommending oral contraceptives solely as a means of prevention against Ovarian cancer.
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