Birth control pills may offer lasting endometrial cancer protection

Women who use oral contraceptives during their reproductive years may gain long-term protection against endometrial cancer, a review of previous research suggests.

Researchers analyzed 36 studies including more than 140,000 women from around the world. They found that every five years of taking birth control pills was linked to a 24 percent reduction in the risk for endometrial cancer, even more than three decades after women stopped using the contraceptives.