Irregular periods can cause a lot of problems for women, but a new study suggests that they may also indicate an increased risk for ovarian cancer. An article from WebMD.com explains that women will irregular periods, including those with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCS), may benefit from early screening for ovarian cancer.
According to lead study author Barbara Cohn, director of child health and development studies at the Public Health Institute in Berkeley, California, "Ninety percent of women who get ovarian cancer don't have risk factors for it. Our study findings help to narrow the search. If we can confirm what we have here and can learn more about the mechanism behind ovarian cancer, then we might be able to do something as simple as recommend birth control pills for women with irregular periods, provided they have no other risk factors against birth control pill use.”
Cohn’s study involved more than 14,000 women who were part of the Kaiser Permanente Health Plan in Alameda, Califorinia, between the years of 1959 and 1967. Researchers tracked the women's health over the next 50 years or until death, whichever came first. All of the women had at least one child, and none of them used fertility drugs to conceive. Researchers concluded that women with irregular cycles had an increased risk of ovarian cancer death that was 2.4 times higher than women who had normal cycles.
Unfortunately, the study design wasn't able to show that irregular periods caused either ovarian cancer itself or an increased risk for it, only that the two were associated.
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