How Does Pregnancy Affect Ovarian Cancer Risk?

How Does Pregnancy Affect Ovarian Cancer Risk? (0:39)

Being pregnant decreases your risk of ovarian cancer, and multiple pregnancies and breastfeeding decrease risk even further. Watch gynecologic oncologist Diljeet Singh, MD, discuss why pregnancy provides increased protection from ovarian cancer.

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Being pregnant decreases your risk of ovarian cancer and every time you're pregnant you further decrease your risk of ovarian cancer, And if you breastfeed after you've given birth you decrease a risk of ovarian cancer even further. Pregnancy we think protects against ovarian cancer for two reasons, one the surface of the ovary is damaged every time there's an ovulation, so when you're pregnant you don't ovulate, and then two pregnancies is the time when our progesterone levels are really high.

We think progesterone is actually an anti-cancer hormone for the ovary. It helps repair damage to the ovary and then if there are cells that are damaged it helps shut them down and turn them off.