Hormones and cancer
The contraceptive pill is also known as ‘the pill’. It is a common form of birth control in the UK.
The contraceptive pill is taken by mouth to prevent pregnancy. Hormones in the body control the menstrual cycle (periods). The pill prevents pregnancy by changing the levels of these hormones.
There are two main types of contraceptive pill, which you can read more about on the NHS website:
The combined pill. This pill contains 2 hormones; oestrogen and progestogen.
The mini pill (also called the progestogen-only pill or POP). This pill only contains progestogen.
There are other types of hormonal contraceptives available. There is little evidence on these and the risk of cancer. Your GP can give you more information about the different types of contraception.
Taking the combined pill slightly increases the risk of breast cancer compared to people who do not take it. Ten years after stopping the pill, a person’s risk is no longer increased – as if the pill was never used.
Taking the combined pill may be linked with a slight increased risk of cervical cancer compared to people who do not take it. The increased risk may be bigger the longer the combined pill is used. Ten years after stopping the pill, a person’s risk is no longer increased – as if the pill was never used. The evidence linking cervical cancer to the combined pill is not as good as the evidence for breast cancer and the combined pill. We need more research on the combined pill and cervical cancer to be confident it increases risk.
Taking the combined pill can lower the risk of ovarian cancer. This reduced risk stays when people stop taking the pill.
Taking the combined pill can lower the risk of womb cancer. This reduced risk stays when people stop taking the pill.
We need more research on the combined pill and the risk of any other cancer types.
We know less about the mini pill than the combined pill as there have been fewer scientific studies on the mini pill and cancer. In the last 10 years, the number of people using the mini pill has increased, so we are starting to see more research on how it affects the risk of cancer.
Taking the mini pill slightly increases the risk of breast cancer. When the mini pill is stopped, the increased risk starts to go back down. This is similar to what we see with the combined pill.
We need more research to know if the mini pill slightly increases the risk of cervical cancer.
Some very small studies suggest the mini pill decreases the risk of endometrial cancer, like the combined pill does. But we need more research to be able to say this.
We need more research on the mini pill and the risk of any other cancer types.
There are many different types of contraception available. Your doctor can help you make an informed choice about what is right for you and whether to use the pill. Think about whether all the benefits of the pill outweigh the risks. These are different for each person. You can speak to your doctor about the pill and the risk of cancer.
It’s important to remember there are other things that affect your risk of cancer more than the pill. You can reduce your risk of cancer by:
stopping smoking,
keeping a healthy weight,
drinking less alcohol.
Last reviewed: 27 Mar 2023
Next review due: 27 Mar 2026
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