Incidence of benign and malignant breast disorders in women taking hormones (contraceptive pill or hormonal replacement therapy).

The incidence of breast disorders, in a series of 142 women of reproductive age who received combined oral contraception (OC) for birth control and in 98 postmenopausal women who received hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with estrogens and progestins, for seven years, was compared with control groups. A lower incidence of benign breast diseases was observed among OC users (p < 0.001) and HRT recipients (p < 0.001). No differences were observed in the incidence of breast cancer among the groups studied. OC use and HRT do not increase the risk for breast cancer and decrease the incidence of benign breast diseases.