Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Committee Chair

Trey Boyd

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer ranks as the most frequently diagnosed cancer globally. These numbers are on the rise annually, possibly influenced by changes in shifts in women’s lifestyles including sedentary lifestyle, obesity, consumption of alcohol, and oral contraceptive use. This paper aims to assess whether the use of oral contraceptives elevates the risk of breast cancer in adult women.

Methods: A search via PubMed using the key terms “contraceptives, oral” AND “breast neoplasms” resulted in 1,398 articles. After applying operators and filters for the last five years (January 2019 through June 2024), the results were narrowed down to five high-quality studies, which were selected for review and reference.

Results: One study evaluated the impact of using oral contraceptives at a young age, before having a full-term pregnancy, while another explored the effects of BRCA gene mutations. Additionally, two studies investigated the influence of the duration of oral contraceptive use, and another compared the effects of progesterone-only contraceptives with combined hormonal options. Although all studies utilized a 95% confidence interval (CI) for statistical analysis.

Discussion: The data did not show a general increased risk of breast cancer for all women using oral contraceptives. However, studies focusing on specific subgroups of women have revealed a higher risk of breast cancer in those using oral contraceptives compared to those who do not. Further research is needed to fully understand how oral contraceptive use affects breast cancer risk in these specific populations.

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