Name: 事實查核：避孕藥會致癌嗎？| DW 新聞 (Fact check: Is the birth control pill carcinogenic? | DW News)
Uploaded: 2026-02-04T17:03:55.000Z
Duration: 7 min 50 s

Here is how coming off the contraceptive pill turned me into a lesbian.

停用避孕藥如何讓我變成女同志。

Contraception is explicitly forbidden by the church.

Birth control pills actually change the diversity of our gut microbiome.

避孕藥其實會改變我們腸道微生物群落的多樣性。

Viral claims about the birth control pill are flooding the Internet.

關於避孕藥的病毒式傳言充斥著網路。

But there is one claim that keeps coming up and deserves a deeper dive.

但有一個傳言不斷出現，值得深入探討。

Did you know that the birth control pill is now classified as a Class 1 carcinogenic?

你知道避孕藥現在被列為第一級致癌物嗎？

That's the same as asbestos and cigarettes.

So is the bird control pill really carcinogenic?

But before we answer it, let's start with the basics.

但我們在回答之前，先從基本開始。

Women produce several hormones essential for reproduction.

女性會產生幾種對生育很重要的荷爾蒙。

Among these, estrogen and progesterone play the most significant roles.

其中，雌激素和孕酮扮演著最重要的角色。

They control the menstrual cycle, support egg development, and prepare the body pregnancy.

它們控制著月經週期、支持卵子發育，並為懷孕做準備。

While estrogen and progesterone occur naturally in the body, they're also key ingredients in many birth control pills.

雌激素和孕酮雖然會自然存在於體內，但也是許多避孕藥的關鍵成分。

There are two main types of oral contraceptives, combined pills.

口服避孕藥有兩種類型，複合型避孕藥。

These include both progestin and estrogen.

這些藥物同時含有孕激素和雌激素。

As the name suggests, they contain only progestin.

Both types work in several different ways.

這兩種類型有幾種不同的作用方式。

By using those hormones to alter the reproductive system.

透過使用這些荷爾蒙來改變生殖系統。

But how exactly does that happen inside the body?

但這在體內到底是如何發生的呢？

We asked a gynecologist to break it down.

我們請了一位婦產科醫師來詳細解釋。

Contraception works by preventing ovulation, meaning no egg matures in the ovaries.

避孕的作用是阻止排卵，也就是卵巢中沒有卵子發育成熟。

When girls are born, they already have millions of potential egg cells after they reach sexual maturity.

女孩們出生時，在達到性成熟後就已經有數百萬個潛在的卵子細胞。

Typically, one egg is released per menstrual cycle.

通常，一個月經週期會釋放一個卵子。

One way how hormonal contraception works is by stopping this process.

荷爾蒙避孕的一種作用方式就是阻止這個過程。

另一種方式則與卵子的移動有關。

Normally, the egg travels through the fallopian tubes.

正常情況下，卵子會通過輸卵管。

Some birth control pills reduce the tube's ability to move the egg along, so even if an egg has matured, it won't be transported.

有些避孕藥會降低輸卵管移動卵子的能力，所以即使卵子成熟了，也不會被運輸。

The third way is when pills reduce the build up of the uterine lining.

第三種方式是避孕藥會減少子宮內膜的增生。

Normally, the lining allows a fertilized egg, which is fertilized in the fallopian tube, to nest and then develop.

正常情況下，內膜會讓受精卵（在輸卵管受精）著床並發育。

In other words, the uterine lining is like a bed for the egg.

換句話說，子宮內膜就像是卵子的床。

If that bed isn't there, the the fertilized egg can take hold even if it makes it past all the other barriers.

如果床不存在，即使受精卵克服了所有其他障礙，也無法著床。

第四種方式跟子宮頸黏液有關。

Some pills cause the mucus to change consistency, making it thicker and making it difficult for sperm to enter.

有些避孕藥會改變黏液的濃稠度，讓它變厚，使精子難以進入。

Now that we know how different contraceptives work, let's go back to the main concern.

現在我們知道不同的避孕方法是如何作用的了，讓我們回到主要關心的問題。

Does the birth control pill cause cancer?

And what does the World Health Organization have to say about it.

世界衛生組織對此又有什麼說法呢？

Did the who just drank birth control pills as carcinogenic?

世衛組織說口服避孕藥是致癌物嗎？

The WHO's Cancer Research Agency did classify the combined birth control pill, which contains estrogen and progestin, as a Group 1 carcinogen.

世界衛生組織的癌症研究機構確實將含有雌激素和孕激素的複合型避孕藥列為第一類致癌物。

Despite what social media suggests, the classification was made decades ago, first outlined in a 1999 report nearly 27 years ago, and

雖然社群媒體上說的不是這樣，但這個分類早在幾十年前就已經確立了，最早是在一份將近 27 年前的 1999 年報告中提出，

之後在 2008 年又經過審查和確認。

But what does Group 1 carcinogen actually mean?

但第一類致癌物到底是什麼意思呢？

A Group 1 classification that means that according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the agent is classified as carcinogenic to humans.

第一類分類意味著，根據國際癌症研究機構的說法，該物質被歸類為對人類致癌。

So this is the strongest evidence that we have that the agent can cause cancer.

所以這是我們擁有的最強證據，證明該物質會引起癌症。

And so right now, after evaluating more than 1,000 agents in a 54 year history, there are 135 that are classified in Group 1 and included in that group, as you mentioned, tobacco, alcohol consumption, processed meat consumption, and

所以現在，在 54 年的歷史中評估了超過 1,000 種物質後，有 135 種被列為第一類，其中也包括您提到的香菸、酒精攝取、加工肉品攝取，以及

also the combined estrogen progesterogen contraceptive pill.

還有複合型的雌激素孕酮避孕藥。

So yes, the combined birth control pill is listed in Group 1 as claimed by the social media users.

所以，沒錯，就像社群媒體用戶說的，複合型避孕藥也被列為第一類。

But is it as carcinogenic as alcohol, tobacco and asbestos?

但是，它會像酒精、香菸和石棉一樣致癌嗎？

The cancer hazard identification that we do at IARC does not determine the potency of the agent in terms of causing cancer.

我們在國際癌症研究機構做的癌症危害辨識，並不會決定該物質致癌的強度。

So it should not be correct to assume that because two agents have both been classified in Group 1, the highest level of strength of evidence, that it means they are equally carcinogenic.

所以，不能因為兩種物質都被列為第一類，也就是證據等級最高，就認為它們致癌性一樣，這樣是不對的。

The WHO's cancer agency sorts substances by the strength of of the evidence, not by how deadly it is.

世界衛生組織的癌症機構是根據證據的強度來分類物質，而不是根據它們的致命性。

They check whether something can cause cancer, not how much exposure leads to cancer or how big the risk is.

他們檢查的是某樣東西「是否會」致癌，而不是「多少劑量」會致癌，或是「風險有多大」。

So the claim that the birth control pill is as carcinogenic as alcohol, tobacco and asbestos is misleading.

所以，說避孕藥跟酒精、香菸和石棉一樣會致癌，這是誤導人的說法。

A recent study from Uppsala University analyzed data from over 2 million women between 2006 and and 2019.

最近一份來自烏普薩拉大學的研究，分析了 2006 年到 2019 年間超過 200 萬名女性的數據。

The research group analyzed both the combined and the progestin only pill.

研究團隊同時分析了複合型避孕藥和單純孕激素避孕藥。

They found a slight increase in breast cancer among women who were currently using or had recently used hormonal birth control.

他們發現，目前或近期使用荷爾蒙避孕藥的女性，乳癌的發生率有輕微增加。

In real terms, that equals about one extra case per 7,800 users each year.

換算成實際數字，大約是每年每 7,800 名使用者會增加 1 例。

Still, the researchers point out that this doesn't mean the pill caused this additional case of breast cancer, but

不過，研究人員也指出，這並不代表避孕藥直接造成了這額外的乳癌病例，

only that the two were seen together in the data.

而是說這兩者在數據中同時出現。

So there is no evidence that the pill directly caused a slight increase in risk.

所以，並沒有證據顯示避孕藥直接導致了風險的輕微增加。

What they also found is that the risk varied based on the hormone formula, slightly higher for the progestin only pill compared to the combined one.

他們也發現，風險會因荷爾蒙配方而異，單純孕激素避孕藥的風險比複合型避孕藥稍高。

They also found out that a specific progestin like dysogestrel favors higher risk.

他們還發現，像屈螺酮（drosperinone）這類的特定孕激素會增加較高的風險。

These findings are consistent with previous research and other studies.

這些發現與先前的研究和其他調查結果一致。

But it is important to look at the bigger picture and to put the numbers in context when assessing the overall risk.

但重要的是，在評估整體風險時，要看到更全面的情況，並將數字放在適當的脈絡中。

In fact, many protective effects can occur.

事實上，許多保護性的作用也可能發生。

In every cycle, the lining builds up and is shed.

在每個週期，內膜會增厚然後剝落。

This constant buildup of cells cells is naturally prone to disruptions from external factors such as tobacco use.

細胞不斷增生，本來就容易受到香菸等外在因素的影響而產生變化。

Now, if you use the contraceptive pill, like the progestin only pill, it can reduce this process.

現在，如果你使用避孕藥，像是單純孕激素避孕藥，它可以減少這個過程。

This means the repeated cycle of cell growth and shedding where cells could potentially change, doesn't happen.

這表示細胞重複生長和剝落的週期不會發生，細胞也就比較不容易產生變化。

So to sum up, studies show that certain hormones in the pill can slightly increase breast milk cancer risk, but

所以總結來說，研究顯示，避孕藥中的某些荷爾蒙可能會稍微增加乳癌風險，但

it also lowers the risk for other cancers like ovarian or endometrial cancer.

它也能降低卵巢癌或子宮內膜癌等其他癌症的風險。

And remember, cancer risk isn't only about the Pill.

記得，癌症風險不只跟避孕藥有關。

Less physical activity, more sitting and driving, smoking, being overweight.

運動量少、久坐久站、抽菸、體重過重。

All of these increase risks for conditions like thrombosis and cancer.

這些都會增加血栓和癌症等疾病的風險。

Before you worry, make sure you understand the facts and talk to your doctor.

別擔心，先搞清楚事實，再跟醫生聊聊。