They were more likely to be premenopausal at the time of interview. They were more likely smokers. They tended to have a higher level of education. The role of birth control pills after 1975 and increased breast cancer risk is less certain, partly because during this study, the average age of women who used birth control pills after 1975 was 43 years. Today, more often, women take birth control pills at a younger age and for a longer period of time.
More research is needed to study the effects of the newer pills on the risk of breast cancer.
Women with an increased risk of ovarian cancer often have gene mutations BRCA1 and BRCA2. The current study did not analyze the DNA of its participants. However, researchers speculate that women with these genetic mutations may have increased their risk of breast cancer by having taken birth control pills before 1975. Women with an average risk of breast cancer should not interpret this study as a reason to stop using birth control pills, the researchers emphasized. Regardless of this study's findings, all women need to continue to be aware of preventive breast cancer detection methods, because the majority of breast cancer patients do not have a family history of the disease.