According to a new analysis of a population index, the use of oral contraceptives, aka birth control, and a greater number of live births, reduce the risk of ovarian cancer.
The finding, reported by Iqbal Madakkatel, PhD, a research associate at the University of South Australia in Adelaide, Australia, and his colleagues, relied on machine learning to analyze 2920 exposures among 221,732 women in the UK Biobank, with 1441 cases of ovarian cancer occurring during a median 12.6 years after baseline.
In the large-scale study, published in The International Journal of Gynecological Cancer, researchers found that having used oral birth control reduced ovarian cancer risk by 26%, and women 45 or younger who stopped using oral contraception had almost half the risk compared to people who stopped taking the pill before 25. 
In a previous interview, SurvivorNet spoke with Dr. Karen Zempolich, gynecologic oncologist at St. Mark’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, who talked about how taking birth control is one of the main methods of protecting against ovarian cancer.
“Using birth control pills can decrease ovarian cancer risk by about 40%,” said Dr. Zempolich. “That’s a very large decrease in the amount of risk women can expect to have across their lifetime.”
As noted in Madakkatel’s study, Dr. Zempolich added that risk reduction is most significant in women who have used birth control for at least five years, although there’s still some benefit for women who have taken birth control for less than five years.
Nurse practitioner Barbara Dehn talks birth control and ovarian cancer risk with SurvivorNet
Birth control pills do have risks of their own, though. They can cause mild side effects like headaches, nausea, bloating, and breast tenderness. Less often, they may increase the risk for blood clots, especially in women who smoke, as well as for breast cancer. It’s important to consider the risks and benefits carefully with your doctor before you decide to go on the pill.
Raising Awareness on Ovarian Health
Until recent years, ovarian health hasn’t always been as openly discussed, but more and more people, including celebrities like Naomi Watts, Hailey Bieber, Kate Beckinsale, and Angelina Jolie, along with movements like “Ovaries. Talk About Them” are helping to educate and get people more comfortable openly discussing women’s health below the waist.
Beauty CEO Hailey Bieber has shared about a painful cyst “the size of an apple” on her ovary, which was benign, meaning not cancerous, but a nerve-racking experience for the model nonetheless.
Bieber, who is married to pop sensation Justin Bieber, didn’t disclose full details on whether or not she had had surgery, or was ever on the pill, but speaking about her experience helped raise awareness.
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“It’s painful and achey and makes me feel nauseous and bloated and crampy and emotional,” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “Anyways! I’m sure a lot of you can overly relate and understand. we got this.”
According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (OCRA), ovarian cysts like the one Hailey had, which are common for women with regular menstrual cycles, are fluid-filled as opposed to ovarian tumors which are solid masses.
Benign ovarian cysts which commonly develop during a woman’s menstrual cycle can sometimes be hard to differentiate from ovarian cancer. “We know that women, during the course of their lives, have a lot of ovarian cysts,” Dr. Colleen McCormick of Compass Oncology previously told SurvivorNet.
“Most of the time, they’re benign, but unfortunately, we don’t have a way of telling whether a cyst is benign or cancerous,” Dr. McCormick explained.
According to Dr. McCormick, the best available tools that doctors have for assessing ovarian cancer risk are:
- Ultrasounds
- Family history
- Symptom evaluation
Actress Kate Beckinsale has also suffered from a painful cyst, and wound up in the hospital after it ruptured. This is when surgery is needed in most cases.
And superstar actress, director and activist Angelina Jolie, who lost her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, to ovarian cancer, famously had a preventative full hysterectomy to help protect herself from getting the disease.
The mom of six made headlines globally and ramped up awareness on women’s health and preventative health.
Ovarian Cancer Overview
Ovarian cancer has been called the “cancer that whispers,” because women often don’t experience symptoms until their cancer has already reached its late stages. The symptoms that do appear at first are hard to identify as cancer. This subtlety of symptoms makes it essential for women to know the warning signs, and report them to their doctor.
The term ovarian cancer refers to a number of different tumors that grow in the ovary. The ovaries produce the sex hormone, estrogen, as well as eggs. Every woman has two ovaries, one on either side of her uterus. The fallopian tube picks up the egg from the ovary and carries it to the uterus for fertilization.
Gynecologic oncologistDr. Beth Karlan, on why it’s important to push for a diagnosis if you have symptoms of ovarian cancer
Many ovarian cancers actually begin in the fallopian tubes. A few cancerous cells first grow on the fallopian tubes and then, as the fallopian tubes brush over the ovary, these cells stick to the ovaries and eventually grow to form a tumor.
There isn’t just one ovarian cancer; there are manydifferent typesthat occur at different stages of life. In fact, researchers have identified over 30 types, but these three are the most common:
- Epithelial. About 90% of ovarian cancers are epithelial, which means the cancer cells are located on the outer layer of the ovary. Most epithelial tumors are not cancerous, but when they are cancerous, they can spread before they’re detected.
- Stromal.This rare type of tumor forms in the connective tissue that holds the ovary together and produces estrogen and progesterone.
- Germ cell. These tumors, which develop in the cells that produce the eggs, are more likely to affect a single ovary, rather than both ovaries. When a teen or young woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it’s usually the germ cell type. The good news is that most women with these types of ovarian cancers can be cured.
As for what do look out for, symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:
- A feeling of bloating or fullness
- Pain in the pelvis or abdomen
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Changes in bowel habits
Any of these can be similar to symptoms many women experience monthly with their menstrual cycle, which makes distinguishing this cancer so difficult.
What Increases Your Risk for Ovarian Cancer?
A few factors might increase the risk for ovarian cancer. Having these factors doesn’t mean you will definitely get this cancer, only that your risk is slightly higher.
Your risk for ovarian cancer may be increased if you:
- Have gone through menopause. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40.
- Have a gene mutation. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes help cells repair their DNA damage. Having a change, or mutation, in one of these genes increases your risk of getting ovarian cancer. These gene mutations are commonly passed down in families. If one of your close relatives carries a BRCA gene mutation, there’s a 50-50 chance you could be carrying it, too.
Genetic Testing For Ovarian Cancer: Why Is It Important?
- Are overweight or obese. Being very overweight might not only affect your risk of getting ovarian cancer, but also your survival if you are diagnosed with this cancer.
- Had your first pregnancy after age 35, or never carried a pregnancy to full-term.Of course, this doesn’t mean that women should have children just to protect themselves.
- Have family members with cancer.Your risk might be higher if you have close family members (such as your mother, sister, aunt, or grandmother) who have had ovarian, breast, or colorectal cancer. Genes that increase the risk for these cancers run in families.
- Used hormone replacement therapy.Women who take estrogen and progesterone after menopause are at slightly higher risk than are women who don’t use these hormones.
In addition to a potentially lowered risk from giving birth or using birth control pills for five years or more, breastfeeding or having a preventative surgery could also reduce the chance for getting this disease:
- Having children. Giving birth, particularly to two or more children if that is your choice to do, can significantly reduce your risk for ovarian cancer.
- Using birth control pills for five or more years. However, hormonal birth control also comes with its own risks, which women should consider when making the choice to take them.
- Breastfeeding. Breastfeeding for as little as one to three months can reduce the risk of the deadliest type of invasive ovarian cancer.
- Having surgery.Surgeryto get your tubes tied, remove both ovaries, or remove the uterus (hysterectomy), might lower your risk for ovarian cancer. However, surgery comes with its own risks.
Be sure to book an appointment with your doctor today to discuss your ovarian health. For ovarian cancer prevention and to stay ahead of a potential diagnosis, knowing your family health history, communicating it to your doctor, and learning about what genetic testing options are available to you are super important.
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