A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine published December 2006 offered positive information to women who suffer from ovulatory disorders. According to findings based on information from more than 116,000 women in the Nurse's Health Study women who suffer from anovulation or another ovulatory disorder have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.
The results are positive in many ways for women who suffer from anovulation, and whom may also be infertile. It is believed that not having acheived pregnancy or not having any children increases one's risk. But if the reason is due to ovulatory dysfunction, then the worry about increased risk for breast cancer can be erased.
Women with ovulatory disorders had a 25 percent decrease in overall risk for breast cancer compared to women who ovulated on a regular basis. This reason may be due to lower estrogen levels, which is often the cause of anovulation.
Even more surprising, women who were infertile due to anovulation who underwent fertility treatment, which often includes induced ovulation had an overall lower risk of breast cancer than women who cycle regularly. The risk of breast cancer is a top concern for many women who are considering infertility treatment, and now it can be addressed with findings from a large scale clinical study.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on January 22, 2007 04:16 PM
