The birth control pill has been hailed as one of the ten greatest medical breakthroughs since the 1840s. At the same time, breast cancer has become one of the greatest health threats to women. Interestingly, there has been controversy regarding the relationship between the pill and breast cancer. Some studies have reported a correlation between the risk of breast cancer and oral contraceptives, yet other studies have concluded that the risk of breast cancer is not associated with oral contraceptives. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the University of Washington recently conducted a study on the association between breast cancer and birth control pills, which was published in the journal Cancer Research. The study included 1102 women diagnosed with breast cancer, with a mean age of 40 years. Estradiol and progesterone are known to be the two main chemicals in birth control pills. They divided the pill into three categories by dosage form: 1. low-dose synthetic estrogens, or 20 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol; 2. medium-dose synthetic estrogens, or 30-35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol, or 50 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol methyl ether; 3. high-dose synthetic estrogens, or 50 milligrams of ethinyl estradiol, or 80 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol methyl ether. The results of the study showed that women who regularly took the pill had a 50% higher risk of developing breast cancer compared to the control group. The risk of breast cancer tripled (170% increase) for women taking high doses of estrogen. The risk of breast cancer is also increased by 60 percent even if a woman takes a pill containing moderate doses of estrogen. However, there was no significant change in the risk of breast cancer among women taking low-dose estrogen pills. There are two specific forms of birth control pills that require special attention and can significantly increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer: 1) birth control pills containing diacetinol, which increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 2.6 times, such as Continuin or Femulen; and 2) birth control pills containing 0.75 mg of norethindrone, which increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 3.1 times, such as Ortho 75. We know that estrogen is an important information molecule in a woman’s body. We know that estrogen is an important information molecule in the body that stimulates the growth and proliferation of breast epithelial cells. If estrogen is above normal levels, it can stimulate the proliferation of breast cells, which can result in breast enlargement. However, the growth of a very small number of breast epithelial cells may get out of control and this abnormal cell proliferation may promote malignant tumors. There are a few things to note about this study: 1. Women who take high doses of estrogen-containing birth control pills are very rare. Very few women take 50 or 80 micrograms of estrogen. The reason most women take high-dose estrogen-containing birth control pills is to treat other conditions that require high doses of estrogen, such as breakthrough bleeding. By the end of the study (2005-2009), only 0.5% of women had taken high-dose estrogen-containing birth control pills. 2. Once the pill is discontinued, women’s risk of breast cancer returns to normal levels. Studies have found that women’s risk of breast cancer increases only within one year of taking the pill. The risk of breast cancer is low: 1.5% for women at age 40 and 2.38% for women at age 50. Obviously, this evidence is not enough to change your mind if you originally wanted to take the pill. 4. The pill also has anti-tumor effects. Some studies have reported that the pill can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. If you have a family history of endometrial cancer, taking high doses of estrogen birth control pills may be a good choice. 5. It’s a drug. When doctors prescribe drugs to patients, they often weigh the pros and cons of the drugs beforehand. If you see the side effects section of the aspirin instructions, you may be afraid to take aspirin. This is a very tricky thing to do. You want to take birth control pills, but you don’t want to get cancer. What should you do, choose fertility autonomy (take it) or choose to reduce the risk of breast cancer (don’t take it)? It is clear that for most people, the pill brings much more significance than the risk of disease it poses. Furthermore, tumor risk studies have always followed the pattern of “it works – hey, wait – it doesn’t seem to work.” That’s the pattern. Moreover, the pill has always been the most popular form of birth control for young women. So, the pill, you take it or you don’t take it, it’s there.