Can the Pill cause breast cancer?
The younger a girl is when she takes the Pill and the longer a young woman takes the Pill before her first full-term baby, the higher her risk of contracting breast cancer as she gets older. Specifically, if a woman takes the Pill before her first full-term pregnancy (FFTP), “she suffers a 40% increased risk of developing breast cancer compared to women who do not take oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). If she takes OCPs for 4 years or more prior to her FFTP, she may have an even higher risk…”* Remember this the next time you read about an allegedly unexplained increase of breast cancer in women in their thirties and early forties.
The question for Pink October is this. Why isn’t the breast-cancer risk of the Pill being widely publicized — or publicized at all — by the cancer organizations behind the annual Pink October campaign?
*Chris Kahlenborn, MD, Breast Cancer: Its Link to Abortion and the Birth Control Pill (Dayton: One More Soul, 2000) 36. See also Angela Lanfranchi, M.D. and Joel Brind, Ph.D., Breast Cancer: Risks and Prevention, 4th ed., (2005, 2007). This is a free, online 33-page booklet showing the effects of hormonal contraception, abortion and other risks related to breast cancer. This booklet explains the risk factors for breast cancer and how to reduce the risk. It’s easy to read and highly informative.
Sheila Kippley
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding: The Frequency Factor, 2008
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing, 2008, classic edition
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood, 2005
www.nfpandmore.org