For my sophomore term paper in high school I wrote a paper on the risks of abortion to the woman. Unfortunately, it is really hard to find scholarly reports on abortion risks because it is such a loaded issue. Almost every source that claimed that abortion is risky were also pro-life, while those who denied that there were risks worth mentioning were pro-choice. However, the more I researched it, the more it became clear that while there were mere propaganda sites on both sides, the better scientific arguments were on the side of there being risks. One of the risks that has been researched the most is the link between breast cancer and abortion.
It seems reasonable to think that risk of breast cancer would increase if cells are pushed to partial differentiation, and then the hormone that got them there (estrogen) is removed, leaving the cells very vounerable to carcinogens. It is also a reasonable idea that being exposed to large doses of estrogen will raise the risk of breast cancer. Another logical idea is that having an abortion would raise one's risk of breast cancer, since the later one has children the lower your risk is. These are, as far I have learned, factors that lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.
The above factors are all factors caused by an abortion. Some of these risks are lessened by having a late term abortion rather than an early to mid term abortion. The first two factors also are not caused by most spontaneous abortions (miscarriages) because most spontaneous abortions occur in the first trimester and are caused by a deficiency of estrogen. This, however, is just the logic of the link, not conclusive proof.
Conclusive proof one way or the other on this issue is really hard to come by. Most studies done on this link rely on women reporting accurately whether or not they have had an abortion. This, however, is not accurate. Women who have had abortions and have not been diagnosed with breast cancer are likely to hide their abortions. Women with breast cancer who know that they are participating in a study are less likely to hide their abortions. This leads to skewed results. Also, there are other factors that lead to breast cancer, so it is hard to test for just one factor. The research that has been done is not conclusive and there is a lot of disagreement among the different projects that have been done. As far as I am aware though, the majority of the reliable research supports the link between breast cancer and abortion.
Whether or not we know for sure that the two are linked, women should be made aware of the possibility. We have a right to know what the side effects of medical procedures are, whether or not they are morally controversial.
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I wasn't clear on what you meant when you said that late term abortions were less risky, but then went on to say that spontaneous abortions would not be so risky because they tend to happen early on... ???
oh...right. Late term abortions tend to be after the breast cells have become fully differentiated, making them less susceptible to carcinogens, whereas early abortions take place before the cells are fully differentiated and leave the cells partially differentiated and expose them to large doses of estrogen. However, in the case of spontaneous abortions, the cells don't begin to differentiate because the cause of most spontaneous abortions is a deficiency in estrogen, which is what causes the cells to differentiate.
does that make sense?
Got it. Thanks for the clarification.
The other thing you don't hear too much about is that breastfeeding significantly reduces your odds. Use 'em or lose 'em. That's a highly political topic, too, for financial reasons. If the medical community made a big effort to explain just why "breast is best" they'd lose a lot of valuable relationships with the pharmaceutical companies that supply them with free formula.
Blech. Medical edcuation should be about medical education, not politics.
right. The reason why breast feeding lowers your risk of breast cancer is that less estrogen is relased when one is lactating (and that is why one is less likey to get pregnant while breast feeding).
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