Scientists at the University of Milan have found that fewer women are dying of ovarian cancer and they believe it is because of increased pill usage.

According to the researchers who undertook a global study, ovarian cancer rates in the UK fell from 7.51 per 100,000 women in 2002 to 5.86 per 100,000 in 2012 which results in a drop of 22 per cent. They noted a combination of factors culminating in fewer instances of ovarian cancer. They include declining use of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for menopausal women, a more comprehensive cancer detection and treatment rate and indeed increased use of the contraceptive pill. HRT is used to replace the female sex hormones, oestrogen and progestogen, in menopausal women and is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease as well as breast cancer. The decline in global usage of HRT’s is contributing to the declining ovarian cancer rates among middle-aged and older women. Researcher Dr Eva Negri, said

‘Women in countries such as Germany, the UK and the USA were more likely to use hormone replacement therapy too manage menopausal symptoms than In some other countries. The use of HRT declined after the report from the Women’s Health Initiative in 2002 highlighted the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as breast and ovarian cancer, and son this may also help to explain the fall in death rates among middle-aged and older women in these countries.”

In contrast to HRT, the contraceptive pill works by suppressing the hormones that naturally stimulate the ovaries, reducing the risk of cancer. According to the most recent report complete by the Irish Cancer society, 304 women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2009. The risk of developing ovarian cancer increases in women with a specific inherited genetic abnormalities. One of these risks is associated with BRCA mutations. However,ovarian cancer is also known to be driven by hormones.