The use of birth control pills was able to prevent thousands of uterine cancer cases, a new study from researchers at the Oxford University has determined. At least 200,000 endometrial cancer cases were reduced by pill consumption in the past 10 years, while 40,000 cases were prevented in the last 50 years, the researchers learned.
Women who have been taking "the pill" in the last decade also reduced their rate of womb cancer diagnoses from 2.3 per 100 users to 1.3 per 100 users. Its protective effects can last up to 30 years, even if a woman is no longer on the pill.
"Women who use it when they are in their 20s or even younger continue to benefit into their 50s and older, when cancer becomes more common," said Valerie Beral, one of the co-authors of the study, according to Yahoo. "People used to worry that the pill might cause cancer, but in the long term the pill reduces the risk of getting cancer."
Researchers studied data from 36 studies involving 143,000 women on birth control pills. This most popular form of contraception is not only used for family planning, as some women take the pills for health and medical reasons.
In the past, studies have already determined that oral contraceptives can help prevent endometrial cancer, which affects the uterus. However, its extent remains unknown until this latest study.
In America, 54,870 cases of womb cancer are projected to be diagnosed in 2015, with 10,170 women dying from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
In light of these findings, it is the hope of the medical community that it will "provide reassurance that for women who are using birth control pills to manage their family planning, the benefits are likely to balance out, if not outweigh, any risks," said JoAnn Manson, a medical professor, according to USA Today.
The findings were published in the journal The Lancet.
