Contraceptive Pills May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Contraceptive pills, or birth control pills, are primarily known and used to prevent pregnancy, however a new research study from the University of South Australia (UniSA) shared that contraceptive pills can lessen the chances of contracting ovarian cancer, as discovered through a screening with the use of artificial intelligence.

Supported by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), researchers from UniSa conducted a study wherein they had access to the medical data of 221,732 women who on an average were aged 37 to 73 years old in the UK Biobank and utilized artificial intelligence to analyze their records.

Results showed that 26% of those women who have used oral contraceptives before are at less risk of developing ovarian cancer because of the use of the pill — the same goes for 43% of those women who were already aged over 45, with their chances even indicated to be lower.

Moreover, the research gave way to the learning that women who have undergone childbirth for two or more children have a lowered risk of having ovarian cancer in comparison to women who have yet to have children.

They also found a few biomarkers that are linked to ovarian cancer, particularly those that can identify what could lessen the risk of it. Among these identifiers are several characteristics of red blood cells, specific liver enzymes in the blood, lower body weight, and shorter stature.

Dr. Amanda Lumsden, a UniSa researcher, emphasized the significance of being aware of the risks and precautionary measures one can take when it comes to ovarian cancer in order to boost better treatments and outcomes regarding the disease.

She added that ovarian cancer is at its worst when detected during its late stages and that 70% of its cases are often only diagnosed when it’s already notably advanced. This then leads to a lower survival rate of less than 30% over five years, which is significantly different if compared to more than 90% of ovarian cancer cases that were diagnosed early, hence highlighting the value of recognizing its risk factors.

Given the research’s findings about contraceptive pills lowering the risk of ovarian cancers with women who use them, it gave way to the theory that methods to suppress ovulation may be a potential prevention strategy for ovarian cancer.

Professor Elina Hyppönen, the lead for the project, further expressed that spotting the factors that can help in recognizing what could put individuals at risk of ovarian cancer is supplemental in improving survival rates as efforts to prevent and detect the disease early are implemented.

She saw it as exciting that recent data-driven analyses are capable of revealing ovarian key risk factors that we can do something about. Specifically with contraceptive pill use for inhibiting ovulation that lessens the chances of developing ovarian cancer, it shows that more research does initiate the best methods in preventing the development of the health condition and the methods to resort to for identifying the women who are at most risk.

On another angle, UniSA’s machine learning specialist by the name of Dr. Iqbal Madakkatel claimed that this study displayed the competence of artificial intelligence in detecting risk factors that would have normally been undetected.

They each measured 3,000 diverse characteristics related to health, medication use, diet and lifestyle, physical measures, metabolic, and hormonal factors at the beginning of the research. Among the aforementioned, blood measures were particularly seen to be predictive in identifying ovarian cancer risk, suggesting that the development of tests for early stage detection for ovarian cancer in women may be achievable.

In general, aside from preventing pregnancy, contraceptive pills have been recommended by doctors to manage symptoms of hyperandrogenism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and severe discomfort during your monthly period.

It all comes down to the type of oral contraceptives that you buy and what’s best suited for your needs. There are several brands for birth control pills that you can choose from — those that can be used even if you’re actively breastfeeding or if you have certain health conditions.

Contraceptive pills in the Philippines are widely available. You can purchase them in most pharmaceutical establishments nationwide like Getmeds, which offers both prescription medicine and OTC products at an affordable price. They can also have your medicine delivered to your doorstep for your convenience.

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