You're Less Likely To Get Ovarian Cancer On The Pill, According To Science

It turns out your birth control is protecting you from more than just unwanted pregnancy.

According to a new study, the rate of deaths linked to ovarian cancer has declined in countries where women started using birth control earlier than others.

Researchers of the study, published in the Annals of Oncology, used information from the World Health Organization to see how the rate of ovarian cancer-related deaths have changed between 1970 and 2012 in around 50 countries.

They noticed the rate of deaths linked to ovarian cancer fell by 10 percent between 2002 and 2012 in Northern Europe, and decrease by around 16 percent in the US.

The use of birth control is common in both of these parts of the world, so researchers can see a consistent tie between the falling rate of deaths and the use of oral contraceptives.

It's important to note that the longer a woman uses a birth control pill, the lower risk of developing ovarian cancer she has. Women who have taken the pill for at least five years have a 50 percent lower risk compared to women who have never taken it.

So this is all pretty awesome, but the rate of ovarian cancer-related deaths in Latin American countries isn't trending in the same way.

According to Refinery29, this could be due to "differences in when women in these countries started using oral contraceptives, as well as trends related to childbirth."

OK, so this doesn't mean that if you're not on the pill, you're at high risk to develop of ovarian cancer.

And let's also not ignore the fact that any hormonal birth control could possibly increase your risk for other types of cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

It really depends on your family and medical history because oral contraceptives affect women differently.

This is just one of the many positive aspects, aside from its main purpose.

Citations: A Benefit From Taking The Pill You Might Not Expect (Refinery29)