Does oral contraceptive use pose a breast cancer risk?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 20 years old, and I am a single child. I have been taking oral contraceptive TriNessa for about one and a half years. I have been trying to know whether this pill can cause breast cancer after a more prolonged period of use. The occurrence of breast cancer in my family was with my maternal grandmother. She got it around her 40 years of age. My mother is at the age of 50 and does not have any sign of it. Should I need to change my method of contraception? Or is it safe to keep this one? Currently, I am taking Claritin.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You have mentioned two medicines. Claritin (Loratadine and Pseudoephedrine) is used for allergy, and it is safe. Since your maternal grandmother had breast cancer, you are at high risk of getting breast cancer, but your mother is not having it now. You should do breast cancer screening tests BRCA 1 (breast cancer gene) and BRCA 2 to see if you carry the genetic markers. If it is positive, you are at very high risk of getting breast cancer than the average population. Hormonal contraceptives taken orally or by any route are contraindicated in people with a personal history of breast cancer as it can cause breast cancer with prolonged use. We do not advise it if you have a family history of breast cancer also. So you can stop TriNessa (Norgestimate with Ethinyl Estradiol tablets) which is a hormonal contraceptive with some risk. You can use an intrauterine non-hormonal contraceptive device like ParaGard which releases copper, which is safe. You can also use barrier methods like condom or diaphragm with spermicide. I recommend you change your contraceptive.