A new study conducted by researchers in India found that women who were long-term users of oral contraceptives were almost 10 times more likely to develop breast cancer than those who did not use the pill.

The Times of India is reporting on the study, which was conducted by doctors at the AIIMS, the public health nutrition unit, and published in the Indian Journal of Cancer. Of the  640 women who participated in the study, 320 were breast cancer patients.

“We found long-term use of oral contraceptive pills (OCP) higher among those suffering from breast cancer-11.9%-compared to healthy individuals-1.2%,” said Dr Umesh Kapil, a professor at the AIIMS.

Dr. Kapil explained to the Times that “breast cancer is caused by repeated exposure of breast cells to circulating ovarian hormones, and long-term use of OCPs, which contain estrogen and progesterone, may be increasing this risk by causing hormonal imbalance.”

The study did not consider women who were taking the morning-after pill, which has an even higher dose of the same synthetic hormones found in the pill.

“Morning-after pills contain a higher dose of hormones and are meant for emergency. However, many young women use them regularly to prevent pregnancy in case of unprotected sex. Awareness about the side-effects of long-term use is a must,” said Dr. Ajeet Singh Bhadoria, a public health specialist and co-author of the study.

Because these pills are available over-the-counter, experts are advising women who take them regularly to only do so under strict medical supervision.

Even more alarming are the results of an AIIMS study on the profile of patients between 2000 and 2011 which found that one in 10 women with breast cancer was less than 35 years of age. Of these, about 73 percent were between 30 and 35, while 24 percent were as young as 25-29 years.

Overall, the incidence of breast cancer among the population in Delhi is 32 per 100,000 people with the majority of the cases occurring in women between 40 and 50 years of age.

The new study also found that early menstruation, late marriage and childbirth, and lower duration of breastfeeding were other major factors that contributed to a higher incidence of breast cancer.

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