Fertility treatments to release eggs do not increase the risk of developing breast cancer, new research conducted at King’s College London has shown.
The Research
Researchers from King’s College London and King’s Fertility analyzed studies involving 1.8 million women undergoing fertility treatments. The women were followed up in studies for an average period of 27 years and had no increase in the risk of developing breast cancer.
The research was published in June Fertility and Sterility and is the largest study to date assessing whether commonly used fertility drugs are for a cancer risk for women, according to Science Daily.
Fertility treatments can range from using medications to boost the release of an egg in a women’s natural cycle to more complex treatment such as IVF, which involves stimulating a patient’s ovarian cycle, extracting eggs from their ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory, then transferring the embryo into the womb to develop, according to Science Daily.
‘Evidence needed to reassure women’
Fertility drugs to stimulate ovaries to release eggs have been used to treat infertility since the early 1960s. Drugs that are used to stimulate the ovaries increase estrogen hormone production and can act on breast cells. There has been concern that this could transform cells into a malignancy.
The review examined studies from 1990 to January 2020. Women of all reproductive ages were included in this study and followed up for an average of 27 years after their fertility treatment. Researchers found no significant increase in risk to women exposed to treatment versus untreated women, and untreated women who were infertile.
“Fertility treatment can be an emotional experience,” said study author Dr Yusuf Beebeejaun from King’s College London and King’s Fertility. “Patients often ask us if taking ovarian stimulating drugs will put them at increased risk of developing cancers, including breast cancer. To answer that important clinical question, we undertook this review that reports data from nearly two million people.’’
Dr. Sesh Sunkara, senior author of the paper, said in a news release, “Our study showed that the use of drugs to stimulate ovaries in fertility treatment did not put women at increased risk of breast cancer. This study provides the evidence needed to reassure women and couples seeking fertility treatments.”