The short answer
NCI reports that oral contraceptives are linked to lower ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancer risk and to higher breast and cervical cancer risk. Other methods are not covered by the NCI fact sheet we checked.
There is no single verdict: oral contraceptives are linked to lower risk of some cancers and higher risk of others.
NCI reports 30-50% lower ovarian cancer risk, with protection that can continue up to 30 years after stopping, and at least 30% lower endometrial cancer risk.
Breast cancer risk is about 24% higher in current users, and NCI says no increase was evident by 10 years after use ended.
Cervical cancer risk rises with years of use. NCI says virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV, and vaccination and screening are the main prevention tools.
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The whole article, with every detail and caution.
This page is for anyone choosing or using a birth control method who wants to know how it affects cancer risk. It reports what NCI says about oral contraceptives, notes what is not covered, and lists what else shapes the decision.
Why there is no single verdict
Oral contraceptives are linked to lower risk of some cancers and higher risk of others. Any answer that comes out as "birth control causes cancer" or "birth control prevents cancer" has thrown most of the information away.
Oral contraceptive pills
Figures below are from NCI's Oral Contraceptives and Cancer Risk fact sheet:
- Ovarian cancer: 30-50% lower risk. Protection increases with length of use and continues for up to 30 years after stopping.
- Endometrial cancer: at least 30% lower risk. It is greater with longer use and lasts for years afterwards.
- Colorectal cancer: 15-20% lower risk.
- Breast cancer: a small increase. Across everyone who has used it, about 7%. Among current users, about 24%, which did not grow with duration of use. NCI says no increase was evident by 10 years after use stopped.
- Cervical cancer: risk rises with length of use. About 10% higher for under five years of use, 60% for five to nine years, and doubled for ten years or more.
Other methods
The NCI fact sheet we checked covers oral contraceptives. It does not give figures for the patch, ring, implant, injection or IUDs, so this page makes no claim about them. Ask your care team about the specific method you are considering.
Cervical cancer and HPV
NCI says virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. It says routine screening with an HPV test or Pap test can prevent most cervical cancer, and that the HPV vaccine is estimated to prevent up to 90% of cancers caused by HPV infection.
What actually shapes the decision
Contraceptive choice usually turns on how well a method works, side effects, and your own health and history. Cancer risk is one input among several, and it is not the same for everyone. That is a conversation to have with a clinician who knows your history. Do not start or stop a medication on your own because of this page.
Sources
Common questions
Is the hormonal IUD the same as the pill for cancer risk?
The NCI fact sheet we checked covers oral contraceptives and does not give figures for IUDs. Ask your care team about the specific method you are considering.
Does the copper IUD affect cancer risk?
The NCI fact sheet we checked does not cover IUDs. Ask your care team about the method you are considering.
If I stop the pill, does the extra breast cancer risk go away?
NCI says no breast cancer risk increase was evident by 10 years after use had stopped. Ovarian cancer protection is reported to continue for up to 30 years after stopping.
Why does the pill affect cervical cancer risk if HPV causes it?
NCI says virtually all cervical cancer is caused by HPV. Longer pill use is linked to higher risk. NCI says routine screening with an HPV test or Pap test can prevent most cervical cancer, and the HPV vaccine is estimated to prevent up to 90% of HPV-caused cancers.
I have a family history of breast cancer. Does that change things?
It can. NCI notes the lower ovarian cancer risk is also seen in women with a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation. Your own history is best discussed with a clinician who knows it.
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Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-08-13 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2027-07-30
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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, and this 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 then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. 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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