<p>I found something to explain that it does help but American Cancer society doesn’t endorse it.
<a href=“http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/birth-control-pill-use-cuts-ovarian-cancer-risk”>http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/birth-control-pill-use-cuts-ovarian-cancer-risk</a>
</p>
<p>Well, of course not, DrGoogle, why would the ACS issue a blanket endorsement that every woman, everywhere, at all times should take bcp? No one is saying that someone who has no other need for bcp should just start taking it for ovarian ca protection. But, if someone does have a need for birth control, they should be aware that protection against ovarian cancer is a plus of the bcp, to be weighed against what other factors are relevant for that particular woman. </p>
<p>Why do you call yourself DrGoogle? Are you particularly skilled at finding medical info via Google? Lots of my husbsnd’s patients think they are, and it’s usually crap. </p>
<p>They are some craps and there are some non-craps stuff on the net as usualm, even on most things. I do like to google for information on the net, because I like to read from multiple sources and multiple opinions. I do the same with engineering subjects. I don’t take one guy’s point of view entirely as 100%.</p>
<p>Yes I scare my doctors too, I told them to their faces that I don’t like them because in my mind they(one of them at least) killed my mother prematurely. Luckily, I have a nice doctor and he is not taken offense.</p>
<p>I appreciate the information, I will pass on to my daughters about the pills. </p>
<p>EDIT to add, I also find out why my aunts who were pregnant a lot didn’t have ovarian cancer because technically when you are pregnant, you are not ovulation. So it seems to make sense that they have multiple children and then breastfeeding seems to help with ovarian cancer.</p>
<p>Just popping back in, my daughter has gotten a few days break from the wildfires, so Ive been spending time with her.
The three most frequent types of cancer in women are breast, lung and colorectal, none of which I think are affected pro or con by hormones, but. I havent read through new posts, so I am sure ill be corrected!
( the cancer.gov site does not cite BCP as a risk)</p>
<p>Yes, DrGoogle. The pill in one sense could be said to mimic or trick the body into thinking it’s pregnant. </p>
<p>Having a boatload of babies and breastfeeding for years might indeed reduce risk of ovarian cancer, but that would do a tune on my mental health :-). Everything’s a choice. </p>
<p>Not to mention that pregnancy and childbirth are one of the riskiest things a woman can do her body 
</p>
<p>There are tests to determine whether you have some of these problems or not.
<a href=“Tests for Ovarian Cancer | How Is Ovarian Cancer Diagnosed?”>http://www.cancer.org/cancer/ovariancancer/detailedguide/ovarian-cancer-diagnosis</a></p>
<p>Cervical and breast cancers are usually diagnosed early, if the woman is diligent about regular checkups (that include pap/HPV and mammograms), and as the result are less deadly than ovarian cancer which is usually gets discovered when it is too late. There is no diagnostic test for early ovarian cancer, and as far as I know, no one is even close to developing one.</p>
<p>Pizzagirl is correct in her post #94 about cervical cancer and BCP link as being indirect. The vast majority of cervical cancers are caused by HPV (the ones that are thought to be not are probably also are). You are more likely to take BCP if you are sexually active. If you are sexually active, your chances of getting an HPV infection are like 80-90% over your lifetime - the virus is very contagious (there are some thoughts that it is more contagious than it was previously believed and that it is not always spread by sex, but it can be spread via contact with infected surfaces like toilet seats). If you get HPV, it does not mean you will get cervical cancer either. Not all HPV types are linked to HPV, and most HPV infections are cleared out by the immune system. Even if the woman gets and abnormal Pap, it does not mean she has cervical cancer. Most of the low grade abnormalities clear out on their own. Even if the abnormality does not get cleared out, cervical cancer is slow to progress, so doctors can make a decision based on the repeat Pap and additional testing like colposcopy and nip it in the bud. I write a really looooong post here about it, but I will not bore you with the scientific mumbo-jumbo.</p>
<p>deleted</p>
<p>My Dr doesnt recommend doing Paps more than every three years, is that standard?</p>
<p>EK, that depends on what category you fall into.</p>
<p>DrGoogle - there is NO non-invasive test (like Pap or a mammogram) that can be run routinely to detect ovarian cancer at the stages where it is easily treatable. What your link describes is usually what happens at more advanced stages. How often did you experience bloating, went to your doctor and asked to do ultrasound etc. because you thought you had ovarian cancer? Yup, most people don’t until it is too late. One very recent example that hit too close to home: a coworker who seemed to be in good health had some minor belly issues and got diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. She died just a little over a month after her diagnosis. </p>
<p>Oh, and the CA-125 test that is a blood test… it is not used to detect ovarian cancer. It is used to measure its progression and effectiveness of treatment (see the very, very sad thread by Sunriseeast).</p>
<p>Here is what that test does and why it cannot be used for screening purposes: <a href=“CA 125 test - Mayo Clinic”>CA 125 test - Mayo Clinic;
<p>Ive had unremarkable Paps, but I did have HPV/warts about 43 years ago.</p>
<p>There is about a hundred HPV strains. The strains of HPV that cause warts are not the HPV that causes cervical cancer. If your warts have gone away, it means your immune system fought and won its battle.</p>
<p>Here is the currently recommended screening schedule for cervical cancer:</p>
<p>"Cervical cancer
• Cervical cancer screening (testing) should begin at age 21. Women under age 21 should not be tested.</p>
<p>• Women between ages 21 and 29 should have a Pap test every 3 years. Now there is also a test called the HPV test. HPV testing should not be used in this age group unless it is needed after an abnormal Pap test result.</p>
<p>• Women between the ages of 30 and 65 should have a Pap test plus an HPV test (called “co-testing”) every 5 years. This is the preferred approach, but it is also OK to have a Pap test alone every 3 years.</p>
<p>• Women over age 65 who have had regular cervical cancer testing with normal results should not be tested for cervical cancer. Once testing is stopped, it should not be started again. Women with a history of a serious cervical pre-cancer should continue to be tested for at least 20 years after that diagnosis, even if testing continues past age 65.</p>
<p>• A woman who has had her uterus removed (and also her cervix) for reasons not related to cervical cancer and who has no history of cervical cancer or serious pre-cancer should not be tested.</p>
<p>• A woman who has been vaccinated against HPV should still follow the screening recommendations for her age group."</p>
<p>More info can be found here: <a href=“Cervical Cancer Overview | Guide To Cervical Cancer”>http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cervicalcancer/moreinformation/cervicalcancerpreventionandearlydetection/cervical-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-toc</a></p>
<p>“DrGoogle - there is NO non-invasive test (like Pap or a mammogram) that can be run routinely to detect ovarian cancer at the stages where it is easily treatable. What your link describes is usually what happens at more advanced stages.”</p>
<p>This is a oerfect example of why it’s frightening to be a Dr via Google. You’re taking little snippets out of context. BB is absolutely right on the science behind this, and why you can’t just treat all cancers are interchangeable. Cervical ca and br ca are detectable by routine means. Ovarian typically isn’t until it’s far along. </p>
<p>I am thoroughly impressed by you ladies. Extremely knowledgable. It’s great. :)</p>
<p>Thanks.
So is that info saying that a woman under 21 doesn’t need a Pap?
What if they are sexually active?</p>
<p>These are general guidelines, but of course, there could be exceptions.The reasoning is based on statistics and cost/benefit analysis. Pap smear test detects cellular changes that indicate pre-cancer or cancer caused by high risk types of HPV virus. Since it takes several years for an HPV infection to result in such changes, most women under 21 would have negative Pap tests, so there is little benefit of doing the testing.</p>
<p>More reading on HPV:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV”>http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/HPV</a></p>
<p>Thats interesting thanks.
I think both the girls have had the immunizations, although they are also both in long term relationships, so that lowers their risk as well.</p>
<p>I think I’m more worried about Ebola than anything else. its in the big cities now, which means it can leave the continent. It starts out like a cold or flu, but you can be dead in less than two weeks.
<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/26/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-west-africa/”>Ebola virus reaches Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos - CNN;
<p>Just to add to the discussion of gynecological cancers and their ability to be caught early, such as breast and cervical, endometrial cancer is often caught very early because of obvious symptoms. When it’s not caught early, it’s typically because a woman has ignored her symptoms and not followed up with her physician. If you’re a woman having regular cycles, and/or a woman in perimenopause/menopause, and have any discharge, spotting, unusual bleeding or heavy bleeding, you should be in regular dialogue with your doctor about what could be causing this. Endometrial cancer, caught early, is very easily cured. While it’s not fun being thrown into surgical menopause, at least I don’t have to worry about ovarian or cervical cancer any longer. </p>
<p>I found this on the web.</p>
<p>“The vaccines do not protect against all HPV types— so they will not prevent all cases of cervical cancer. About 30% of cervical cancers will not be prevented by the vaccines, so it will be important for women to continue getting screened for cervical cancer (regular Pap tests). Also, the vaccines do not prevent other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). So it will still be important for sexually active persons to lower their risk for other STIs.”</p>
<p>I think that the immunizations are a good idea. However I worry that it could give a false sense of security to women.</p>