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# Fertility drugs promote ovarian cancer if they fail as fertility drugs
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/fertility_drugs_ovarian_cancer_0912120659/
- Published: 2012-09-12T07:58:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:09:17.000Z
- Description: A study drawing on 902 ovarian cancer cases and 1,802 controls found no overall link between fertility drug use and ovarian cancer, but women who used the drugs and never became pregnant were about three times as likely to develop it as those who conceived.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Drug, Health News, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Wednesday Sept 12, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- A study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention suggests that fertility drugs may increase risk of ovarian cancer in women who fail to get pregnant with help from these drugs.

Michelle L. Kurta of Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh and colleagues conducted the study, but also found that fertility drugs were not associated with increased risk of developing ovarian cancer in women who succeeded to get pregnant with help from these drugs.

Early studies are inconsistent. The current study was intended to determine whether fertility drugs significantly affect ovarian cancer risk when other risk factors were considered in statistical analysis including age, race, age at menarche, education, parity, oral contraceptive use, breastfeeding, tubal ligation, talc use, and family history of breast/ovarian cancer.

The study was based on data from the Hormones and Ovarian Cancer Prediction (HOPE) study of 902 cases of ovarian cancer and 1,802 controls without the disease.

Ever use of fertility drugs was not significantly correlated with risk of ovarian cancer within the total study population or those who reported seeking infertility treatment. The researchers did find a significantly increased risk of ovarian cancer in women who ever used fertility drugs but failed to get pregnant. Those women were triple as likely as those who used fertility drugs to successfully get pregnant.

The researchers concluded "These results provide further evidence that fertility drug use does not significantly contribute to ovarian cancer risk among the majority of women; however, women who despite infertility evaluation and fertility drug use remain nulligravid, may have an elevated risk for ovarian cancer."

Ovarian cancer is a cancer that starts in the ovaries - the female reproductive organ where eggs are produced. The disease is expected in 22,000 women in 2012 in the U.S. and will kill 15,500 in the same year.

Ovarian cancer survival rate is poor. The common ovarian cancer symptoms include pressure or pain in the abdomen, pelvis, back, or legs, a swollen or bloated abdomen, nausea, indigestion, gas, constipation or diarrhea, feeling tired all the time (cancer patients always feel tired). Less common symptoms include shortness of breath, feeling the need to urinate often, and unusual vaginal bleeding.

What may help prevent the disease, according to early studies, include green tea, breastfeeding, fruit and vegetables, flavovoids, low fat diet, ginger preparation, Ginkgo Biloba, ginkgolides, and regular Tylenol use among other things.

What may increase ovarian cancer risk, according to early studies, include ovarian cancer screening, low serum vitamin D levels, intake of high animal fat, trans fat, hormone replacement therapy, meat consumption, obesity, drinking too much coffee, talc powder, dietary cholesterol, high glycemic index or glycemic load, diabetes mellitus, oral contraceptives, milk products, and lactose among other things.