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IUDs for birth control cut a woman’s risk of cervical cancer by 30%

Published

7 years ago

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New Delhi : Women who get intra-uterine devices (IUDs) for birth control appear to face a dramatically lower risk of getting cervical cancer, the third most common cancer in women worldwide, said US researchers.

The risk of cervical cancer in women with IUDs was one-third lower than women without them, said the review in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, which included 16 previous studies spanning more than 12,000 women around the globe. Previous research has also shown that IUDs do not impact lactation and breastfeeding.

“The pattern we found was stunning. It was not subtle at all,” said lead author Victoria Cortessis, associate professor of clinical preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, part of the University of Southern California. “The possibility that a woman could experience some help with cancer control at the same time she is making contraception decisions could potentially be very impactful.”

Researchers are not sure why the risk of cervical cancer drops so much, but one theory is that the devices stimulate an immune response that helps fight cancer-causing infections like the human papillomavirus (HPV). Another possibility is that when women have the devices removed, precancerous cells are scraped away that might otherwise grow into tumours.

More research is needed to understand the mechanism at play. Until then, experts say it is too early to advise more women to use IUDs. But the findings suggest IUDs could be an important tool in the fight against cervical cancer, which is on the rise worldwide.“If we can demonstrate that the body mounts an immune response to having an IUD placed, for example, then we could begin investigating whether an IUD can clear a persistent HPV infection in a clinical trial,” said co-author Laila Muderspach, chair of obstetrics and gynecology at the Keck School. “The results of our study are very exciting. There is tremendous potential.”

Cervical cancer kills about 270,000 women per year and infects more than 528,000, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). By 2035, those numbers are expected to rise to more than 756,000 infections and 416,000 deaths, the UN health agency warns.

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Corona

Covid toll in Karnataka is a worrying sign for state government

Published

3 years ago

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May 4, 2022

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Even though Karnataka recorded the lowest number of Covid deaths in April since the virus struck first in 2020, the state is recording a rise in the positivity rate (1.50 per cent). Five people died from the Covid infections in April as per the statistics released by the state health department. In March, the positivity rate stood around 0.53 per cent. In the first week of April it came down to 0.38 per cent, second week registered 0.56 per cent, third week it rose to 0.79 per cent and by end of April the Covid positivity rate touched 1.19 per cent.

on an average 500 persons used to succumb everyday in the peak of Covid infection, as per the data. Health experts said that the mutated Coronavirus is losing its fierce characteristics as vaccination, better treatment facilities and awareness among the people have contributed to the lesser number of Covid deaths.

During the 4th and 6th of April two deaths were reported in Bengaluru, one in Gadag district on April 8, two deaths were reported from Belagavi and Vijayapura on April 30. The first Covid case was reported in the state in March 2020 and three Covid deaths were recorded in the month. In the following month 21 people became victims to the deadly virus, and May 2020 recorded 22 deaths. The death toll recorded everyday after May crossed three digits. However, the third wave, which started in January 2

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