PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Birth control pills may lower women's risk of certain cancers and heart disease, two new studies from Wayne State University find.
The studies, which were presented in Philadelphia at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, used data from the Women's Health Initiative study in which more than 160,000 women took part, about 67,000 of whom had used the pill.
Researchers found "highly significant relationships" between birth control pills and reduced risk of a wide range of problems including cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.
The risk reductions were generally seen in women who had taken birth control pills for more than one year.
However, the reduced risk for angina, transient ischemic attack (a mini-stroke) and certain blood vessel diseases was only seen in women who had used birth control pills for more than four years.
Increasing age, elevated body mass and smoking greatly increased risks.
