Oral contraceptives and benign breast disease: a case-control study

Area of Science:

• Reproductive health
• Oncology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Benign breast disease (BBD) is common, and its relationship with oral contraceptive (OC) use is a subject of ongoing research.
• Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the potential protective or detrimental effects of OCs on BBD development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between oral contraceptive use and the risk of developing histologically confirmed benign breast disease.
• To analyze the impact of duration and recency of oral contraceptive use on BBD risk.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study was conducted in Milan, involving 288 women with benign breast disease and 285 age-matched controls.
• Data on oral contraceptive use, including duration and timing, were collected and analyzed to calculate relative risks.

Main Results:

• Overall oral contraceptive use was not significantly associated with an increased or decreased risk of benign breast disease (Relative Risk = 1.0).
• A significantly lower relative risk of benign breast disease was observed in women using oral contraceptives within the year preceding biopsy (Relative Risk = 0.4).
• This protective effect in current users appeared to increase with longer duration of use.

Conclusions:

• The study findings do not support the hypothesis that oral contraceptive use protects against the development of benign breast disease.
• While recent oral contraceptive use showed a temporary reduction in risk, the overall evidence does not indicate a long-term protective effect.