Keep risks of breast cancer from hormonal contraception in perspective
Medical research can gain traction in the mainstream media when findings make for catchy headlines. Last week, The New England Journal of Medicine reported hormonal contraception use can increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. (Radiology Business tackled the subject.)
The New York Times examined the study and its implications when the initial news broke.
In Sunday’s NYT, Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine, wrote how the risks of side effects and the rewards of therapies must be kept in perspective. He has ulcerative colitis, for which he takes an immunosuppressant.
“Yes, the risks of my medication involve serious diseases like cancer,” he wrote. “But you can’t look only at one side of the equation. You can’t look at individual harms alone and make good health decisions.”
That conversation extends to breast cancer and contraception.
“Every woman should discuss both the positives and the negatives of birth control with her health care provider,” Carroll wrote. “The risks include not only those discussed here, but also blood clots and stroke in women who smoke. They also include potential mood changes.”
Read the full piece below:
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.