Birth Control Pill Classified Carcinogenic: What We Know (Newsweek Article JULY 2, 2025)

[LuvOrlando]

This got my attention because now I know I am BRCA2 BUT back when I was younger I once read some research saying anyone with cancer in the family should avoid the pill so I stopped using it for cysts and all after having my kids so done by 30. I never touched anything like it again & also avoided hormone replacement during perimenopause and menopause after my ovaries were removed for BRCA2. Over the years I got a lot of pushback for my refusal to chance it with hormone replacement therapy, some from other people telling me how great it is and, oddly, sometimes from Dr's assuring me I was misinformed. My attitude was always just nope, I saw how cigarettes played out and don't trust all yall. Now I just saw this and while I feel a bit vindicated I'm also annoyed because of the number of people who didn't know, such a shame I bet most people never heard of any of this. No wonder the cancer rates keep climbing. There are other ways that have no cancer risk.

"The most commonly used and prescribed birth control pill in the U.S. was classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the World Health Organization (WHO) as carcinogenic."

https://www.newsweek.com/birth-control-pill-classified-carcinogenic-what-we-know-2092496

 

[ClaraOswald]

I'm reading through and it's confusing because some parts make it sound like the pill isn't any worse than we already knew about?

I took it for decades. It's been known that they can increase risk of certain types of cancer and cause things like blood clots. It doesn't really sound like anything new has been found.

Like all medications, the person and their doctor need to weigh the pros and cons and decide which risks are worth it for the person.

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The Group 1 classification, which the combined oral contraceptive pill was placed in, is described in the report as when there is "convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer in humans."

However, the report notes that a Group 1 classification, or any other given by IARC, "does not measure the likelihood that cancer will occur at a particular level of exposure to the agent."

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A study by the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception, which followed over 45,000 women for up to 44 years found that "most women who choose to use oral contraceptives do not expose themselves to long-term cancer harms; instead, with some cancers, many women benefit from important reductions of risk that persist for many years after stopping."

 

[LuvOrlando]

I'm reading through and it's confusing because some parts make it sound like the pill isn't any worse than we already knew about?

I took it for decades. It's been known that they can increase risk of certain types of cancer and cause things like blood clots. It doesn't really sound like anything new has been found.

Like all medications, the person and their doctor need to weigh the pros and cons and decide which risks are worth it for the person.

------
The Group 1 classification, which the combined oral contraceptive pill was placed in, is described in the report as when there is "convincing evidence that the agent causes cancer in humans."

However, the report notes that a Group 1 classification, or any other given by IARC, "does not measure the likelihood that cancer will occur at a particular level of exposure to the agent."

--------

A study by the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception, which followed over 45,000 women for up to 44 years found that "most women who choose to use oral contraceptives do not expose themselves to long-term cancer harms; instead, with some cancers, many women benefit from important reductions of risk that persist for many years after stopping."

That's the thing, it has been known for a long time but dismissed as irrelevant. Someone else's greater good of pill form birth control overshadowed the need to discuss cancer risks.

I imagine the people who used birth control pills that ended up with cancer might feel they would have preferred if the risk was more clearly defined when they were young. My own mother and Aunt who were BRCA2 and got cancer were all in on the earliest version of "The Pill."

There are other forms of birth control that don't cause women increased cancer risk that a Dr could bring into the conversation, I can tell you never in my life did a Dr ever even mention it. Live and let live but people should be able to make an informed choice.

 

[georgina]

I would have to know more, and since I am over 60 I am not going to do more research. So many things are carcinogenic - hot dogs and other processed meat, red meat, alcohol, air pollution, to name a few. How does it compare with relative cancer rates?

The article linked above is actually quite favorable to birth control overall -

"the report notes that a Group 1 classification, or any other given by IARC, "does not measure the likelihood that cancer will occur at a particular level of exposure to the agent."

This means that while the IARC found that combined oral contraceptives are carcinogenic to humans, this does not determine how high the risk of developing cancer is by taking the pill at the usually prescribed dose."

So this report says nothing about the dosage in BC pills and cancer. My dad worked for a company that produced saccharin and there were some tests in rats in the 1970's that feeding large quantities gave them cancer. It was not relevant at all to humans, and is now considered safe, but the company suffered very much because of this report.

 

[disneychrista]

Everything I’ve heard about estrogen and/or progestin is that the risk is slightly more than normal 1 in 10,000 and mostly only if you are already at high risk. Otherwise it is actually beneficial and lowers your risk of certain cancers.

 

[DCL58]

Regarding hormone replacement, my OB/GYN won’t prescribe them. If a Dr is that set against them, that is enough for me.

 

[Christine]

Regarding hormone replacement, my OB/GYN won’t prescribe them. If a Dr is that set against them, that is enough for me.

Full disclosure: I'm not on HRT. That said, I think you need to rethink relying on one doctor's thoughts. There are very good doctors/specialist screaming from the rooftops that the WHI study was flat out wrong and women are suffering and having terrible things happen to them as they age, including premature deaths, due to the fallacies in that study.

There are too many doctors who are not following the developing studies on this, who are trapped in that mindset, and medical school is not addressing it.

I think it's fine if you make that decision not to use it and have looked at all the downsides of not using it (because there are many). But because of what I am seeing is happening, via recent medical studies, it's probably not a great idea to rely on one doctor without figuring out if he/she is really digging into it or is just on autopilot from the WHI. There are some serious downsides to not using it and it's all a balance that each person needs to look at, but, unfortunately, women are not being provided all the information and data that has been coming out for 2 years now.

 

[brockash]

Regarding hormone replacement, my OB/GYN won’t prescribe them. If a Dr is that set against them, that is enough for me.

I had a Dr. about 15 years ago who decided to refuse to prescribe birth control pills. - That was really the first time I was ever told anything concerning about them...definitely seems like a red flag.

 

[ClaraOswald]

That's the thing, it has been known for a long time but dismissed as irrelevant. Someone else's greater good of pill form birth control overshadowed the need to discuss cancer risks.

I imagine the people who used birth control pills that ended up with cancer might feel they would have preferred if the risk was more clearly defined when they were young. My own mother and Aunt who were BRCA2 and got cancer were all in on the earliest version of "The Pill."

There are other forms of birth control that don't cause women increased cancer risk that a Dr could bring into the conversation, I can tell you never in my life did a Dr ever even mention it. Live and let live but people should be able to make an informed choice.

I suppose it really depends on the person's doctor. I've had good ones and not-so-good ones over the years. My good ones have always been very upfront about risks of medications. I actually ended up having to stop the regular BC pill when my blood pressure got too bad on it. But I took it for decades before that and I knew all the risks.

I had a Dr. about 15 years ago who decided to refuse to prescribe birth control pills. - That was really the first time I was ever told anything concerning about them...definitely seems like a red flag.

Definitely a red flag about the doctor!