Connecting the Dots: Investigating the Potential Link Between Abortion and Breast Cancer Risk

Not really, till now there has been next to nothing of evidence of any association between abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.

There are many risk factors for breast cancer; however, abortion is not one of them. Some of the risk factors for breast cancer are: age, obesity and family history of having this type of cancer.

There has been miniscule amount of studies that show a possible link between abortion and breast cancer; however, on the flip side there is tremendous research which shows there is absolutely no link between abortion and breast cancer risk.

The concerns, which have risen about possible connection between breast cancer and abortion is because of the changes in the hormone levels a women undergoes when having an abortion. Progesterone and estrogen are the hormones, which trigger the abnormal growth of breast cells.

Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the unintentional loss of a pregnancy occurring in the first 20 weeks of gestation.

The second type is induced abortion which is surgical or medical procedure which ends in termination of pregnancy.

Experts have studied the effects of abortion on breast cancer and the conclusion is there is no connection between the two.

Majority of the studies has shown no link between breast cancer and abortion. These studies comprised of a group of women without breast cancer who were followed over a period of time to see if they have breast cancer later on.

New England Journal of Medicine in 1997 has published one of the biggest studies on this subject where there were 1.5 million Danish female participants ⁽¹⁾. This study concluded that there is no association between induced abortions and breast cancer.

There are many other studies with similar conclusions:

An analysis from 2004 reviewed data taken from 53 studies comprising of 83,000 women having breast cancer across 16 countries ⁽²⁾. It was found that neither induced nor spontaneous abortions increased the risk of breast cancer.

A study from 2008 where the participants consists of more than 100,000 American women also came up empty with regards to any connection of between spontaneous or induced abortions and breast cancer ⁽³⁾.

A review from 2015 concluded that there wasn’t any sufficient evidence to confirm any connection between breast cancer and abortion ⁽⁴⁾.

There have been very less studies, which have shown an association between abortion and breast cancer:

A meta-analysis from 2014 consisting of 36 studies showed that induced abortion was linked with breast cancer risk ⁽⁵⁾. Another study from 2012 comprising of 1,300 Chinese women also showed a connection between abortion and breast cancer ⁽⁶⁾.

A meta-analysis from 2018 done of 43 studies concluded that more research needs to be done before arriving on a conclusion that there is a link between the two ⁽⁷⁾.

There are some differing studies; however, majority of the medical groups say that majority of the evidence did not show any connection between abortion and breast cancer. These groups consisted of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and National Cancer Institute ^{(8, 9)}.

Women have more exposure to increased levels of estrogen, such as seen in longer menstrual cycles, when taking birth control; all these factors contribute to slightly increased risk of breast cancer ⁽¹⁰⁾. Other potential breast cancer risks are:

Genes: Mutations to genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and also other genes which run in families can greatly increase the risk of breast cancer.

Having Early Periods or Late Menopause: The sooner a girl’s period starts and the later the menstrual cycle stops, the more their body gets exposed to estrogen, which in turn increases the breast cancer risk.

Age and Sex: Many of the diagnosis of breast cancers have been done in females who are above the age of 50.

Taking Hormone Therapy or Birth Control Pills: These types of medications have estrogen in them, which triggers breast cancer cells.

Late Pregnancy or No Pregnancy: Conceiving for the first time after the age of 30 or not getting pregnant at all increases the risk of breast cancer.

Excessive Alcohol Consumption: Increased consumption of alcohol increases the risk of breast cancer.

Obesity: Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including breast cancer.

Abortion is a medical procedure done for termination of pregnancies for different reasons. It does carry risks as with any other medical procedure and these consist of:

Some cramping and bleeding is normal to experience after abortion. Some of the indications of serious side effects of abortion which need medical attention are: acute pain; excessive bleeding; high fever and foul discharge from vagina.

Abortion can have some complications, such as: uterus infection, heavy bleeding, injury to the uterus or cervix; incomplete abortion; premature birth in pregnancies later on in life.

At the end of this article, the conclusion is very clear that according to the various studies and medical groups, there is no connection between abortion and breast cancer where it can be safely said that abortion does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

If one is having any concerns regarding risk of breast cancer, then it is better to consult with your doctor for early screening to detect this.

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