Various studies give conflicting reports on the relationship between breast cancer and oral contraceptive use.

Oral contraceptive use may slightly increase your chance of having breast cancer diagnosed, particularly if you started using hormonal contraceptives at a younger age.

After you stop using hormonal contraceptives, the chances of having breast cancer diagnosed begin to go down, and disappear 10 years after stopping use of the pill. It is not known whether this slightly increased risk of having breast cancer diagnosed is caused by the pill. It may be that women taking the pill were examined more often, so that breast cancer was more likely to be detected.

You should have regular breast examinations by a health care professional and examine your own breasts monthly. Tell your health care professional if you have a family history of breast cancer or if you have had breast nodules or an abnormal mammogram. Women who currently have or have had breast cancer should not use oral contraceptives because breast cancer is usually a hormone-sensitive tumor.

Some studies have found an increase in the incidence of cancer of the cervix in women who use oral contraceptives. However, this finding may be related to factors other than the use of oral contraceptives.

Taking the pill provides some important noncontraceptive benefits. These include less painful menstruation, fewer pelvic infections, and fewer cancers of the ovary and the lining of the uterus.

Be sure to discuss any medical condition you may have with your health care provider. Your health care provider will take a medical and family history before prescribing oral contraceptives and will examine you. The physical examination may be delayed to another time if you request it, and the health care provider believes that it is appropriate to postpone it. You should be reexamined at least once a year while taking oral contraceptives. The detailed patient information leaflet gives you further information which you should read and discuss with your health care provider.

What You Should Know About Your Menstrual Cycle When You Use LYBREL
You are likely to have unscheduled or unplanned bleeding or spotting when you start to use LYBREL. The number of days each month with bleeding or spotting usually decreases over time in the majority of women. In a study of LYBREL, about 5 out of 10 women had 7 or more days of bleeding or spotting while using their third 28-day pill pack of LYBREL. The number of women with 7 or more days of bleeding or spotting decreased to 3 out of 10 women during the use of their seventh pill pack. Among women who continued to use LYBREL for one year, about 6 out of 10 women had no bleeding or spotting during their last month of use.

Do not stop taking LYBREL because of bleeding or spotting as this will increase your chance of getting pregnant. If the spotting or bleeding continues for more than 7 consecutive days or if the bleeding is heavy, call your health care provider.

Can I Get Pregnant While Taking LYBREL?
You are not likely to get pregnant if you take LYBREL at the same time everyday as directed by your health care provider. Because regular monthly bleeding does not occur on LYBREL, it may be difficult to recognize if you get pregnant. I