“Hormones have a lot of power. They are the tiny chemicals that tell your body – right down to the cells – what to do. They determine everything from how big you will grow, to how you process food, to how your immune system works.
Hormones can affect your weight, your body temperature and even your mood. They can also have an impact on your cancer risk, says Therese Bevers, M.D., medical director of MD Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Center.
“When people hear the word hormone, they think of estrogen and progesterone, and their effects on female cancers,” Bevers says. “But there are several other hormones that have an impact on your risk of cancer throughout the body.”
Making the connection between hormones and cancer
What’s the link between hormones and cancer risk? It has a lot to do with cells multiplying.
And the more your cells divide and multiply, the more chance there is for something to go wrong and for cancer to develop.
There are several things that can affect your hormones, including medications, chronic inflammation and medical conditions like obesity. For other factors, like toxins and diet, the link to cancer risk is less clear.
Birth control pills
“Birth control pills control fertility with doses of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. They may lower the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers. But they increase the risk for breast and cervical cancer slightly.
“The only population that should be concerned about taking the pill is women who are at a very high risk of cancer, such as those with a BRCA mutation,” Bevers says. “They should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of the pill.”
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Hormones and cancer: What's the link?
Re: Hormones and cancer: What's the link?
Birth control pills
Birth control pills control fertility with doses of the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone. They may lower the risk for ovarian and endometrial cancers. But they increase the risk for breast and cervical cancer slightly.
“The only population that should be concerned about taking the pill is women who are at a very high risk of cancer, such as those with a BRCA mutation,” Bevers says. “They should talk to their doctor about the risks and benefits of the pill.”
Debbie