Using an IUD could significantly lower your ovarian cancer risk

From hormonal options to natural family planning, finding the right birth control method is a deeply personal decision—but luckily, you have choices. Understanding the risks and benefits of each option can help you make an informed choice that aligns with your body and lifestyle. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are a popular choice for women who don’t want to remember to take a pill every day or are looking for a low-maintenance form of birth control. Some women love that the hormonal IUD shortens or even stops menstruation altogether.

Both hormonal and non-hormonal IUDs work by either interfering with fertilization or making it harder for implantation to occur. But here’s a benefit you may not know—a 2019 meta-analysis found that women with IUDs had a 32% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer.

While the main goal of using IUDs is to prevent pregnancy, their potential to reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer seems like a big plus, and it’s not often discussed. We asked two cancer experts to weigh in and explain the possible connection.

What to know about ovarian cancer

According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 20,000 women in the US will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2023. “Ovarian cancer continues to be such a challenging cancer because the great majority of these cancers are still diagnosed in late stages,” shares Elena Ratner, MD, gynecologic oncologist at Yale Cancer Center.

And unlike pap smears that screen for cervical cancer, we don’t have validated tools to find it early. “Long-awaited results of a big trial recently confirmed that screening tests haven’t been able to improve overall mortality from ovarian cancer the way they have for cervical cancer,” says Sarah Adams, MD, Professor and V Foundation clinical scholar in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Ratner also shares that the symptoms of ovarian cancer are tricky because they share similarities to many other conditions. Bloating, feeling full quickly when eating, abdominal pain, and changes in bowel habits can easily be written off as a hormone or digestive-related problem, but these are also potential red flags for ovarian cancer. “The difference between women who end up having ovarian cancer is that those women have these symptoms every single day for at least two weeks every month,” she explains.

Why might IUDs lower rates of ovarian cancer?

The reasons why IUDs may potentially lower the risk of ovarian cancer are complex and not completely understood. “While some IUDs are thought to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer because they elute a form of the hormone progesterone in the uterus, the meta-analysis demonstrated that non-hormonal IUDs were also associated with a reduction in ovarian cancer rates,” shares Dr. Adams. In other words, the lower risk isn’t just due to hormone changes.

Dr. Ratner says the study’s authors suggested several possibilities as to why IUDs may be connected to a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The extra progesterone from hormonal IUDs may add protection, but IUDs may also form a kind of shield against harmful substances known to cause cancer. IUDs may also reduce menstrual fluid moving back into the pelvic cavity (called retrograde menstruation and also related to endometriosis) and the movement of endometrial cells from the uterine lining that could influence cancer risk.

We still need more research to fully grasp the link between IUDs and reduced ovarian cancer rates, but this study could motivate more women to consider IUDs as a birth control option, especially if they are at higher risk.

Knowing your risk factors could be life-saving

Having a family member with ovarian cancer is a significant risk factor for ovarian cancer, along with age, obesity, endometriosis or gene mutations. Dr. Ratner and Dr. Adams agree that the most essential way to reduce ovarian cancer risk is to know your family history and genetics.

“We always ask about the history of ovarian, breast, melanoma, pancreas and prostate cancers,” says Dr. Ratner. “Genetic testing is easily available and affordable to determine your genes.” Breastfeeding and having multiple children also reduce the risk.

The pill is also associated with a lower risk of ovarian cancer. “Additionally, literature has shown that using birth control pills significantly decreases the risk of cancer,” says Dr. Ratner. “Any woman who has used birth control pills for five years at any time of her life decreases the risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 50%.”

IUDs may be a simple way to reduce cancer risk

We may not understand the exact mechanism of how IUDs reduce ovarian cancer risk yet, but these results are promising. Dr. Adams shares that research on ovarian cancer continues progressing, citing her work in clinical trial treatment plans targeting gene mutations and improving the immune system’s response.

In the meantime, choosing an IUD for birth control could be a simple way to reduce ovarian cancer risk, but chatting with your OB-GYN is your best bet to ensure it’s the right choice for your body.