--- title: Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers description: A new study looks at how oral contraceptives—birth control pills—affect the risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer. canonical: https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/ author: Alice Park article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-18T16:01:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:45.030Z article:section: Health og:title: Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers og:description: A new study looks at how oral contraceptives affect cancer risk og:url: https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6df938cb389529e/6988f890fb4eacc76c89555b/gettyimages-147220275.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4839 og:image:height: 2722 og:image:alt: GettyImages-147220275 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers twitter:description: A new study looks at how oral contraceptives affect cancer risk twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6df938cb389529e/6988f890fb4eacc76c89555b/gettyimages-147220275.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b2cda976-9b99-4004-818a-fd1ab40379db&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=b2cda976-9b99-4004-818a-fd1ab40379db&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=b2cda976-9b99-4004-818a-fd1ab40379db&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ## Video: Male Birth Control Gel Works in Monkeys [Watch (HLS stream): Male Birth Control Gel Works in Monkeys](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9aYYG5F2.m3u8) (1:02)  _Published 2017-02-07. The results of a new animal study suggest that a new form of birth control for men may be on the horizon_  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 18, 2018 4:01 PM UTC  Getty Images  by [Alice Park](https://time.com/author/alice-park/)  ## Alice Park Senior Correspondent Jan 18, 2018 4:01 PM UTC In the U.S., nearly all sexually active women have used a form of birth control at some point in their lives, and 11 million women rely on the pill. In a new study published in _JAMA Oncology_, researchers explore how oral contraceptives, which affect women’s hormone levels to prevent pregnancy, affect cancer risk. They found that women taking the pill lowered their risks of ovarian and endometrial cancer—a known benefit of the pill. The researchers also analyzed other factors that might affect the risk, including obesity, smoking status and physical activity levels. In addition to finding that the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancers were lower among women who used the pill, the study found that the longer women were on oral contraceptives, the lower their risk was. For those taking the pill for 10 years or more, the risk of ovarian cancer was 40% lower compared to women who had never used the pill or used them for less than a year, and 34% lower for endometrial cancer. That confirms what earlier studies found, but the current study also delved deeper into how oral contraceptives and cancer risk differed among women with different risk factors for cancer. When the scientists looked at lifestyle factors that might affect the cancer risk among pill users, for example, they found that women who used the pill and were obese, smoked or did not exercise had among the lowest ovarian cancer rates. It’s not clear why, but the researchers speculate that in the case of smokers, there may be some interaction among the hormones associated with oral contraceptives and tobacco. “We found long-term oral contraceptive use reduced ovarian cancer risk universally — it didn’t matter how healthy you were later in life or if you had a family history of the disease; all women experienced the benefit,” said Britton Trabert, the study’s senior author and epidemiologist from the division of cancer epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). **MORE:** [Birth Control for Men? Researchers Will Test a Hormone Gel in 2018](http://time.com/5077942/male-contraceptive-hormonal-gel/) For endometrial cancer, women who were obese and used the pill for 10 years or more lowered their risk of developing the cancer, while women who were normal weight and used oral contraceptives did not. The study’s findings about breast cancer were less conclusive. Previous studies found that women who use oral contraceptives, which include both estrogen and progestin hormones that have been linked to cancer growth, have a 20% to 30% [higher risk of developing breast cancer](http://time.com/5052188/birth-control-breast-cancer/) compared to women who don’t use the pill. The current study found no significant change in breast cancer risk among oral contraceptive users compared to non-users, but the researchers say that may be due to the fact that most of the women in their study were older and past menopause, meaning they had likely stopped using birth control for many years. Though the results don’t establish the pill as an anti-cancer therapy quite yet, the authors say, they are intriguing enough for women to start discussing with their doctors their personal risk factors for cancer and how going on the pill could potentially affect that risk. “Oral contraceptives are primarily used for preventing pregnancy and managing menstrual cycle symptoms,” says Kara Michels, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at NCI. “Our study indicates that for women with different underlying cancer risks when they are older, their earlier oral contraceptive use is likely still beneficial for cancer prevention. Better understanding of the risks and benefits of these medications may help physicians and their patients make informed decisions about using oral contraceptives.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/"},"headline":"Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers","datePublished":"2018-01-18T16:01:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:53:45.030Z","description":"A new study looks at how oral contraceptives affect cancer risk","url":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/","keywords":["Cancer","Breast Cancer","Contraceptives","Reproductive Health","Birth Control","birth control pill","healthytime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6df938cb389529e/6988f890fb4eacc76c89555b/gettyimages-147220275.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alice Park","jobTitle":"Senior Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/alice-park/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6df938cb389529e/6988f890fb4eacc76c89555b/gettyimages-147220275.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"GettyImages-147220275","caption":"","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/","name":"Birth Control Pills May Help Prevent Some Cancers"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Male Birth Control Gel Works in Monkeys","description":"The results of a new animal study suggest that a new form of birth control for men may be on the horizon","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/9aYYG5F2/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-02-07T15:32:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/9aYYG5F2.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/","duration":"PT1M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5106925/birth-control-pills-prevent-cancer/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```