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Treatment for Infertility and Risk of Female Cancers

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Estrogens, Progestins, and Their Antagonists

Part of the book series: Hormones in Health and Disease ((HHD))

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Abstract

The possibility that ovulatory stimulants used in the treatment of female infertility may influence the risk of cancer is an area of growing concern. Drugs and procedures administered to infertile women have changed dramatically during the past few decades, and few studies have been conducted to assess the effects of medications currently in use. Induction of ovulation with agents such as clomiphene, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), human menopausal gonadotropins (HMG), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) typically results in higher serum levels of estradiol and an increased number of ovulatory follicles per cycle than those occurring in naturally cycling women. Conceivably, the extent of these changes may be sufficient to affect the risk of some cancers, particularly those of the ovary, breast, and uterus.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fred Huthinson Cancer Research Center, 1124 Columbia Street, MP 381, 98104, Seattle, WA, USA

    Mary Anne Rossing

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  1. Mary Anne Rossing
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Kentucky Medical Center, 800 Rose Street, 40536-0084, Lexington, KY, USA

    Edward J. Pavlik

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© 1997 Birkhäuser Boston

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Rossing, M.A. (1997). Treatment for Infertility and Risk of Female Cancers. In: Pavlik, E.J. (eds) Estrogens, Progestins, and Their Antagonists. Hormones in Health and Disease. Birkhäuser Boston. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4096-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4096-9_4

  • Publisher Name: Birkhäuser Boston

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8650-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4096-9

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