Have any of you come across some work by Patrick Carroll Director of research, pension and population Institute? He has done some number crunching and noted a correlation between cummulated abortion rates and Breast Cancer. He is suggesting that abortion of a first pregnancy leaves breast cells in a state of interrupted hormal developement and thus susceptatble to BC. He also cites this as a reason for the increase of BC especially amongst upper class women. It is worth noting that htis was not a linked study - he does not know if the same women who abortios also had the BC.- rather it is based on mathematical modelling.
This seems a rather worrying link when I think how this could be used to heap yet more guilt on women for causing their own disease (after all we get fat, eat diary and booze). Also to terrify young women who rightly or wrongly have chosen to have an abortion.
I just sometimes wonder what they will come up with next??
haven’t read the report or heard of it before, it occurs to me although I haven’t had an abortion, I have had a miscarriage and they have the same end result. Has he thought of that I wonder?
Maybe he can link miscarriages as well? And if he does my mother in law had 2 miscarriages and is comming up for 91 and no breast cancer.
That study is shocking rubbish and had been widely pulled apart by academic doctors in the US. If we were allowed to post links, I could point you to several lengthy academic explanations of why the statistics are nonsense. It was published in JPANDS which no-one reputable would bother to publish in (it isn’t even indexed by MEDLINE); it is published by the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons which is specifically an anti-abortion organisation. Also, Carroll’s funding came partly from LIFE, which is an anti-abortion charity.
Hi there,
i agree that it may leave some women feeling even more guilty about getting Bc. interesting the research was done by a man (and Caroll sounds like an irish catholic name to me - we know where they stand on abortions) I have never had an abortion or a miscarrige but still got BC. Also what about the men that get BC? Sorry if this sounds a bit strong but i think everyone who has had BC has enough to worry about without beating themselves up about a miscarriage or abortion in their past medical history.
cheers
caroline
I just wanted to second that this idea was widely investigated by US scientists and no connection was found. I would expect someone of Dr Carroll’s calibre to do a full literature search before making such contentious statements, but he seems not to have.
This is rubbish. BC has been blamed on just about everything as far as I can see. With no real justification. Being alive long enough is probably the thing.
You have really confirmed my views - thanks for the additional references. It is one of those theories that really pull you up short and make you think ‘what the heck!!??’