Hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) may slightly increase the risk of breast cancer, a recent study revealed. However, the experts explain that the overall risk remains low. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analyzed data from 150,000 Danish women.
It revealed that women using IUDs had a 40 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer as compared to those who did not. This increase translates to 14 additional breast cancer cases for every 10,000 women. However, the researchers noted that this risk did not increase with longer use of the IUD.
Experts urge women not to be alarmed by these findings. Kelsey Hampton, director of mission communications and education for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, emphasized that while an increase in cancer risk is always concerning, this study should be seen as more information to help women make educated decisions with their doctors.
“We don’t want people to feel fear,” Hampton said, adding that this research simply provides more data to inform discussions between women and healthcare providers. Dr Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, reassured women that the benefits of IUD use significantly outweigh the risks. She explained that the reported increase in breast cancer diagnoses is still a small, one-in-a-thousand risk, which is not equivalent to a fatal outcome.
Schwarz pointed out that many everyday choices have a greate.
