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Women who have used injectable or oral birth control in the past are at a significantly higher relative risk of invasive breast cancer, but they are at significantly lower risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new study based on black women in South Africa. As more time passed after a woman stopped using the contraceptives, her increased risk diminished.

The study, published in PLoS Medicine, pulled self-reported data from 5,702 participants with newly diagnosed invasive breast, cervical, ovarian or endometrial cancers.  There were 1,492 women in the study who served as controls. They had other types of cancers, including colon, rectal and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which are not influenced by contraceptive use.

Among the participants, 26 percent of women had used injectable hormones and 20 had used pills. After adjusting for confounding factors, including age, education, smoking and number of sexual partners, researchers found women were 1.7 times more likely to develop breast cancer and 1.4 times more likely to get cervical cancer than women who had never taken the contraceptives.

About 50 percent of women with breast cancer had used oral or injectable contraceptives whereas 26 percent of women with ovarian cancer had used the contraceptives and 17 percent with endometrial cancer had used them.

In women who had used birth control pills or injectable contraceptives, the cancer risk diminished with time after a woman’s last use of the birth control, the authors wrote.

Read More at ABC NEWS.

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By: Dr. Monica Rocco

Family history, including both maternal and paternal sides, is the most important piece of information that can help a health-care provider determine whether a person is at significant risk for carrying a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutation (BrCa 1+2 or Breast (Br) Cancer (Ca) 1+2 genes, are genes which can be mutated and passed on between generations).

Other red flags that indicate increased risk are history of breast cancer before age 50, ovarian cancer at any age, male breast cancer, breast cancer in both breasts, breast and ovarian cancer in same patient, family history of BRCA mutation, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and breast cancer after age 50 to a lesser degree.

I often get asked why Jewish ancestry is associated with increased risk of carrying a BRCA mutation. The original mutations were identified in this group of women on the East Coast when they migrated from Europe many years ago.

Most (more than 50 percent) breast cancers are sporadic, which means they occur by chance alone without a family history. Another 20 percent are familial, which means that breast cancer runs in the family, but if the family is genetically tested, there will be no abnormal DNA. Only 10 to 15 percent of breast cancer is hereditary, which means there is a DNA abnormality that is being passed on from generation to generation that is the cause of the cancer. Of this 10 to 15 percent, BRCA makes up the majority of the mutations known to cause breast cancer and the one most widely tested for.

A recent study at City of Hope showed that a patient who develops breast cancer before the age of 50 and has no family history of breast or ovarian cancer has as high as 13 percent chance of carrying a BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 mutation.

Read more: Santa Maria Times

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September marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. It is the start of school for many people and the time for people to come home from the beach and return to their real lives. It is also National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian Cancer is one of the most deadly cancers for women. This month make sure to sport lots of teal in support of ovarian cancer awareness! Here we have 4 symptoms that have been shown to lead to ovarian cancer.

1. Feeling Bloated

2. Having Pelvic or Abdominal Pain

3. Having Problems Eating or Becoming Full Quickly

4. Having Urinary Urgency or Frequency

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are not singular to ovarian cancer and thus make it hard to diagnose. If any of these problems last for a long period of time than you should see a doctor, especially if you have a family history of ovarian cancer. Remember to rock your teal throughout the month of September in support of Ovarian Cancer Awareness!

Do you know of any other symptoms that lead to ovarian cancer? Please let us know so that we can spread the word!

The EBeauty Community sponsors and supports many events and programs in our community and yours! Please let us know about anything happening in your area that you think we should cover! Like us on Facebook, Tweet us, Follow us on Pinterest, or shoot us an email!