Fertility drugs and breast cancer risk

The use of drugs to treat female infertility does not seem to increase the risk of breast cancer. With the increasing number of cases of breast cancer cases, the association of breast cancer with the use of infertility drugs has become a matter of great concern. Earlier research on whether fertility drugs may increase the risk of developing breast cancer has been contradictory. To evaluate the effects of different types of fertility drugs on the risk of breast cancer, researchers at Copenhagen, studied 54,362 women with infertility problems, between the years 1963 and 1998. They evaluated the risk of breast cancer associated with use of five groups of fertility drugs. A detailed data collection, including information of type and amount of treatment, was done. Out of the whole group, 331 women developed breast cancer after an average of 14 years. Clomiphene and the hormones used to boost fertility did not significantly affect the risk of breast cancer. The use of progesterone was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, but this was based on only eight cases. Further research is needed to assess long-term breast cancer risk after use of progesterone. Thus, there is no strong association between the use of fertility drugs and the risk of breast cancer.