Since 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Department of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified combined oral contraceptive pills as Group 1 Carcinogens, meaning there is sufficient evidence that they increase the risk of certain cancers, specifically Breast, Cervical, and Liver cancer.

However, the pill is not considered a “leading cause” of cancer overall, as it simultaneously provides significant protective effects against Ovarian and Endometrial cancers.

According to the research, for Breast cancer, most women face no increased risk, but women with inherited harmful gene mutations may have a higher risk, especially with long-term use of some contraceptives.

“Group 1 classification means that they are carcinogenic to humans, so this is the strongest evidence that we have that the agent can cause cancer, after evaluating more than 1,000 agents in 54 years there are 135 classified in group 1, which include combined oral contraceptive pills.” Said Mary Schubauer- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

An analysis of data from more than 150,000 women who participated in 54 epidemiologic studies by the National Institute of Health (NIH) Research Agency in 2017 revealed that, overall, women who had ever used oral contraceptives had a slight 7% increase in the risk of breast cancer compared with women who had never used oral contraceptives.

However, no risk increase was evident by 10 years after use had stopped, this study forms the basis of a complicated link between some contraceptives and cancer.

Oral Contraceptives are Pills taken daily to prevent pregnancy. there are two main types of contraceptives: Combined Oral Contraceptives (COCS), which contain both Estrogen and Progestin, and Progestin-Only Pills (POPS), also known as the Mini-Pill.

Therefore, Oral Contraceptive pills protect against some cancers but raise the risk of others, underscoring the importance of personalized contraceptive counselling that takes into account family and medical history.

The cancer hazard identification that we do at IARC does not determine the potency of the agent in terms of causing cancer, so it is not correct to assume that since the contraceptives have been classified in Group 1 then they are equally carcinogenic, we need to clearly get the distinction” Mary Schubauer- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
Other risks with oral contraceptive pills are very rare but may include blood clots, stroke, and heart attack. The mini-pill does not carry these estrogen-related risks, making them suitable for women who cannot use methods containing estrogen.