After so much buzz about Gardasil (the new vaccine that protects recipients from infection by HPV strains 6, 11, 16, 18), my mind can't help but wander to the words "protects against cervical cancer" whenever I hear the brand name "Gardasil" mentioned. Recently, I heard (from a very noncredible source==>94.9 FM radio talk show) that birth control pills (in addition to the HPV vaccine) helped reduce women's risks for cervical cancer. Personally, I had never heard this before, so I checked it out. Turns out, just like I thought, I couldn't find any evidence for birth control pills conferring any protection against cervical cancer. However, a recent article published in the NY Times reported that women who have taken birth control pills for at least 15 years decreased their risk of developing OVARIAN (not cervical) cancer by a whole 50 FREAKING PERCENT!! Wow. Apparently, even after stopping the pill, these women continued to maintain such low risk levels for the development of ovarian cancer.
Sweet.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/25/health/25cancer.html?_r=1&ref=health&oref=slogin
Becca Briggs
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