Title: Major study finds no link between abortion and breast cancer.

POPLINE Document Number: 120365

Source citation:

REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM NEWS, 1997 Jan 17;6(1):7-8.

Abstract:

A large-scale, methodologically rigorous Danish study has concluded that, among women of similar age and reproductive history, those who have had one or more induced abortion are no more likely than women with no abortion history to develop breast cancer. The reliability of previous studies of this association has been limited by many women's reluctance to be truthful about their abortion history. This potential source of bias was overcome, in the present study, through the linkage of data from the Danish Cancer Registry with information from the National Registry of Induced Abortions, which provides statistics on the patient's age at the time of a pregnancy termination as well as the duration of pregnancy at abortion. Although the relatively small group of women who had abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy demonstrated a slightly increased risk of breast cancer compared with women with earlier terminations or no abortion history, the number of women involved was too small to permit any generalizations at this time.

Keywords:

Denmark
Abortion
Longterm Effects
Breast Cancer
Risk Factors
Developed Countries
Europe, Northern
Europe
Fertility Control, Postconception
Family Planning
Time Factors
Population Dynamics
Demographic Factors
Population
Cancer
Neoplasms
Diseases
Biology