Think Pinker

The increased fears that IVF increases breast cancer risks have been unfounded according to the TimesOnLine. A study in the Netherlands has shown that fertility treatment has absolutely no effect on whether a woman will develop breast cancer or not.

All that said some scientists are still not sure whether fertility drugs which are used to stimulate the ovaries, and which expose women to high levels of oestrogen could result in higher risk because of higher amounts of estrogen in the body.

One of the reasons that IVF was so often associated with breast cancer is that women who developed breast cancer later on made the association that it was related to IVF even though there was no research that backed such statements up.

In fact the most recent research conducted at the Netherlands Cancer Institute found exactly the opposite. There is no relation between IVF and breast cancer. For women that are considering IVF and have been hesitant to undergo the procedure because of increased risk, you can now relax. For women who have already undergone IVF you can also relax.

The study involved 25,000 women between 1980 and 1995. What the study found is that those women who had undergone IVF saw no increase in breast cancer over those that did not.

The biggest reason that it may appear as an underlying cause, is that women who find themselves seeking IVF wait until they are somewhat older, with fewer children, and even still these women only saw a small increase in their risk of developing breast cancer.

It’s great to finally have some finality when it comes to the big question about whether IVF is responsible for breast cancer or not. No more worries – IVF is certainly safe!