www.mulatpinoy.

ph P a g e |4

Myth #2: Contraceptives are dangerous to health and cause cancer.

FACT: Contraceptives DO NOT cause cancer, have been proven safe worldwide, and even lower cancer risk.

 Oral contraceptives were first approved for use in the United States in 1960, and since then numerous studies have
been conducted to examine their effects on the female body.
o The pill has been shown by many research institutes and universities to have few negative side effects and
many health benefits. Studies have followed women of various ages, professions, states of health, environment
and lifestyles.8
 When compared to the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases, women using oral contraceptives had a
significantly lower rate of death from any cause. No association between overall mortality and duration of oral
contraceptive use was observed.
o Compared with never users, ever users of oral contraception had a significantly lower rate of death from any
cause (adjusted relative risk 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.82 to 0.93). They also had significantly lower rates
of death from all cancers; large bowel/rectum, uterine body, and ovarian cancer; main gynecological cancers
combined; all circulatory disease; ischaemic heart disease; and all other diseases.
o Oral contraception was not associated with an increased long term risk of death in this large UK cohort;
indeed, a net benefit was apparent.”9
 A 2010 Scientific International Report shows contraceptives to be safe, and REDUCES cancer risk (See Tables 2a&b).

 Studies have also shown little effect on the long-term fertility of women after stopping use of oral contraceptives.
“Reversibility data is clear. Despite a possible few months' lag in the return of normal menstrual cycles, most
women resume their previous level of fertility once they stop taking oral contraceptive pills.”10 In fact, some
women take oral contraceptive pills to treat various medical conditions, including, “dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia,
premenstrual syndrome, ovarian and endometrial cancer, functional ovarian cysts, benign breast cysts, ectopic
pregnancy, endometriosis.”11
 Medical science and global health standards have affirmed the safety and acceptability of modern contraceptive
methods, while respecting individual countries’ policy independence (See Table 1):

8
Ann Intern Med. 1994 May 15; 120 (10):821-6. Oral contraceptive use and mortality during 12 years of follow-up: the Nurses' Health Study.
Colditz GA. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
9
Mortality among contraceptive pill users: cohort evidence from Royal College of General Practitioners’ Oral
Contraception Study. Philip C Hannaford, Grampian Health Board chair of primary care, Lisa Iversen, research fellow, Tatiana V Macfarlane,
senior research fellow, Alison M Elliott, senior research fellow, Valerie Angus, data manager, Amanda J Lee, professor of medical statistics
10
SYLVIA L. CEREL-SUHL, M.D., and BRYAN F. YEAGER, PHARM.D. Update on Oral Contraceptive Pills. University of Kentucky College of
Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky
11
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Capri Workshop Group. Noncontraceptive health benefits of combined
oral contraception, Human Reproduction Update, Vol.11, No.5 pp. 513–525, 2005. Advance Access publication July 8, 2005
www.mulatpinoy.ph P a g e |5