US researchers have shown that use of oral contraceptives does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

Up to 80 per cent of US women born since 1945 have used the Pill for contraception. Previous research has suggested that use of the hormones in the Pill could raise the risk of breast cancer - while other studies have failed to reveal a connection. The early Pill users are now reaching the peak age at which breast cancer develops - so the question acquires a new urgency.

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and elsewhere, now report on a new study showing that the Pill is safe. They studied nearly 10,000 women aged between 35 and 64. Half had been diagnosed with breast cancer, while the other half had no history of the disease. Analysis of Pill use in both groups showed that use of oral contraceptives did not increase the risk of breast cancer. This was true even for women with a family history of the disease, and those who'd begun the Pill at an early age. In fact, women who have taken oral contraceptives at any point in their lives are at no more risk of breast cancer than women who have never taken the Pill. This is reassuring news for the millions of women who have enjoyed the contraceptive benefits of the Pill, but harboured a concern over the long-term effects.

Source

New England Journal of Medicine 27th June 2002