The short answer
Hormonal contraception lowers ovarian and endometrial cancer risk while slightly raising breast and cervical risk. The size and direction differ by method, and absolute numbers are small.
There is no single verdict: combined hormonal contraception lowers the risk of some cancers and slightly raises others.
Combined pill users have 30-50% lower ovarian cancer risk and at least 30% lower endometrial cancer risk, with protection persisting for years or decades after stopping.
Breast cancer risk is modestly raised during use — around 24% higher relative risk in current users — and is no longer detectable about ten years after stopping.
Cervical cancer risk rises with duration of combined pill use and falls after stopping; HPV vaccination and screening matter more here than the method.
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The full explanation.
Why there is no single verdict
Hormonal contraception does not have one effect on cancer risk. It lowers the risk of some cancers. It slightly raises the risk of others. And every one of these effects is small next to the things that dominate cancer risk overall. Any answer that comes out as "birth control causes cancer" or "birth control prevents cancer" has thrown most of the information away.
Two patterns make the rest easier to hold in mind. The protective effects tend to be substantial and long-lasting. The increases tend to be modest, and they fade after stopping.
Combined methods: pill, patch and ring
The evidence base is largest for the combined oral contraceptive pill. Compared with people who have never used it:
- Ovarian cancer: 30-50% lower risk. Protection grows with length of use and lasts for up to 30 years after stopping.
- Endometrial cancer: at least 30% lower risk. Again, it is greater with longer use and lasts for years afterwards.
- Colorectal cancer: 15-20% lower risk.
- Breast cancer: a small increase during use. Current users have shown roughly a 24% higher relative risk. Across everyone who has ever used it, the figure is about 7%. The increase declines after stopping and is not detectable ten years on.
- Cervical cancer: risk rises with length of use — around 10% for under five years of use, 60% for five to nine years, and roughly double for ten years or more. It falls after stopping.
The patch and the ring deliver similar hormones by another route. They are generally assumed to behave in much the same way, though they have been studied far less.
Progestin-only pills, the implant and the injection
Progestin-only pills have been studied less than combined pills. Breast cancer findings have looked broadly similar: a small increase around the time of use.
For the injection (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate), studies have generally found protection against endometrial cancer. Some studies also found a small increase in breast cancer risk, concentrated in current or recent users, that does not persist. The evidence here is thinner and less consistent than for the pill.
The contraceptive implant has the least long-term cancer data of any method here, mostly because it is newer. Absence of evidence is not evidence of safety. It is not a reason for alarm either.
Hormonal and copper IUDs
The two kinds of IUD are genuinely different devices.
The levonorgestrel-releasing IUD releases progestin mainly into the uterus. The most consistent finding is a substantial drop in endometrial cancer risk. Several cohort studies also suggest a possible drop in ovarian cancer risk. There is no clear signal of raised cervical cancer risk. For breast cancer the results conflict. Large Nordic registry studies have found modest increases in the region of 20-30% in relative terms: about 21% in the Danish cohort, and 20% for ductal and 33% for lobular breast cancer in a Finnish registry study. Other cohorts have found no association at all.
The copper IUD contains no hormone. It carries no hormonal breast cancer signal, and some studies have found lower cervical cancer risk among users.
Putting the numbers in proportion
Relative percentages sound larger than they are. In the 2017 Danish cohort, the extra breast cancer risk across hormonal contraceptive methods came to roughly 13 additional cases per 100,000 women per year of use. That is about one extra diagnosis for every 7,700 women using hormonal contraception for a year. Against that sits ovarian and endometrial protection. That protection builds over years of use and continues long after stopping.
Cervical cancer is a special case. Lasting infection with high-risk HPV is its necessary cause. So vaccination and staying up to date with screening do far more for that risk than the contraceptive decision does.
What actually shapes the decision
Contraceptive choice usually turns on how well a method works, the bleeding pattern, side effects, whether you can take oestrogen, and how much you want to think about it day to day. Cancer risk is one input among several. And it is not the same input for everyone. A strong family history of breast cancer, a known BRCA variant, a history of blood clots, or a strong family history of ovarian or endometrial cancer all shift the balance, sometimes in opposite directions. That is a conversation to have with a clinician who knows your history.
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Words to know
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Common questions
Is the hormonal IUD the same as the pill for cancer risk?
No. The levonorgestrel IUD delivers hormone mainly into the uterus, and its clearest effect is a substantial reduction in endometrial cancer risk. For breast cancer the evidence is mixed: large Nordic registry studies have found modest increases of roughly 20-30% in relative terms, while other cohorts found no association.
Does the copper IUD affect cancer risk?
The copper IUD contains no hormone, so it carries no hormonal breast cancer signal. Some studies have found lower cervical cancer risk among users. It is the method with the least hormonal involvement in this question.
If I stop the pill, does the extra breast cancer risk go away?
The increase declines after stopping and is not detectable about ten years later. The ovarian and endometrial protection works the other way round: it accumulates with duration of use and persists long after stopping.
Why does the pill affect cervical cancer risk if HPV causes it?
Persistent high-risk HPV infection is the necessary cause. Long duration of combined pill use is associated with higher risk in people with that infection, and risk falls after stopping. Practically, staying up to date with cervical screening and HPV vaccination does more for this risk than the choice of contraceptive.
I have a family history of breast cancer. Does that change things?
It can shift the balance, and so can a known BRCA variant, a personal history of clots, or a strong family history of ovarian or endometrial cancer — sometimes in opposite directions. This is the situation where an individual conversation with a clinician who knows your history matters most.
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Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-08-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-08-18Next planned review: 2027-07-30
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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