The Pill linked to Premenopausal Breast Cancer

Last week I gave a lecture on breast cancer risk reduction and the main point was for women to prevent a hormonal imbalance called estrogen dominance, a key risk factor for breast cancer. There are many causes of breast cancer, including diet, nutrition, stress, and xeno-estrogen exposure, but the most worrisome is iatrogenic, or caused by your physician. We believe synthetic hormone use and birth control pills can create estrogen dominance and lead to a higher risk of breast cancer, and now there is data supporting this claim. In last month’s issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a meta-analysis of 34 studies has shown that the birth control pill or oral contraceptive is associated with an increased risk for premenopausal breast cancer. "Although the medical research community has long recognized breast cancer risk factors such as a positive family history of breast cancer, early menarche, late menopause, nulliparity, and lack of breastfeeding, concordance is lacking regarding the carcinogenic potential of female hormones," explains Chris Kahlenborn, MD, from Altoona Hospital in Pennsylvania. "The Women's Health Initiative Clinical Trial reported that prolonged exposure to (synthetic) exogenous estrogens and progestins in hormone therapy increases a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. In addition, the World Health Organization recently classified both (synthetic) postmenopausal hormone replacement and oral contraceptives (OCs) as group 1 carcinogens." Synthetic hormones are made by pharmaceutical companies and are different than the hormones your body makes. They are chemically different, and act differently in your body, which makes them patentable and able to generate huge profits for pharma. Bioidentical hormones, made by compounding pharmacies, are less expensive and not patentable. They are a more natural way to correct hormone imbalances. In the study of premenopausal breast cancer and the birth control pill, the data were collected since 1980. Overall, the birth control pill increased your risk of breast cancer by 19%, and this is statistically significant. The greatest risk was seen in women who took the Pill before having a baby – their risk was increased by 52% If they used the Pill 4 or more years before having a baby. Citation: Mayo Clinic Proc. 2006;81:1287, 1290-1302. During my last Yoga for Menopause class, a student asked me why her physician would prescribe a birth control pill for her to manage her perimenopausal symptoms of insomnia, weight gain, and continued pelvic pain when it seems like these are related to estrogen dominance (take my quiz in my blog entry from 10/20/06 to assess your hormonal balance). I was trained to do this too until I began to specialize in hormonal imbalance and realized that most women need to start with a clear sense of what their imbalance is and to treat accordingly and naturally. The idea of one-size-fits-all (e.g., a birth control pill for all women as they head toward menopause) doesn’t work, and may in fact increase your risk of breast cancer. A better strategy is to work with a holistic physician and uncover your imbalances if you’re having symptoms, and to determine root causes. Some women reach for the Pill because they need contraception. They are not having hormone imbalance symptoms, but they often develop them after some time on the Pill, such as PMS, blood clots or moodiness/depression/irritability. Other better forms of contraception that don’t cause hormonal imbalance are the Fem Cap (www.femcap.com) and the IUD. Did you know that women who use the IUD are the most satisfied? Might be worth your consideration. In summary, beware of causes of estrogen dominance, and if you’re on the birth control pill, consider if this latest study showing a higher risk of breast cancer prompts you to change. Integrative Medicine for Women – creating hormonal balance one woman at a time at www.drSara.yourMD.com. Phone consults and online consultation available.