Fertility drugs may increase risk of womb cancer
Women who take fertility drugs to boost ovulation may have an increased risk of developing womb cancer in later life, a study has found.Scientists examined the medical records of 15,000 women who gave birth 30 years ago and found that those who had taken fertility-enhancing drugs were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with womb cancer than those who did not have the treatment.Of 567 women who were given any type of drug to boost ovulation, five developed womb cancer, about three times as many as would be expected in the general population. The 362 women who took a fertility drug called clomiphene had a four-fold increased risk of developing womb cancer. The drug prompts the body to make more eggs by inhibiting the activity of the sex hormone oestrogen.The team, led by Dr Ronit Calderon-Margalit at Hadassah-Hebrew University in Jerusalem, also found that fertility drugs were associated with...
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