There has been a lot of talk about how safe the contraceptive pill is. But is it as safe as research suggests? That research seems to suggest that not only did the pill not increase the risk of cancer, it actually reduced it by 12 per cent a finding that was greeted with delight all around the world.

However these research findings have been challenged, with at least one researcher reckoning that the cancer risk is high, and very real. The researcher concerned is Prof Joel Brind from New York City University who based his criticism on the fact that findings were unreliable because the original researchers failed to include in the study, large sections of the population, including women younger than 38, and those currently not on the pill.

Risk certainly increases with length of usage. A woman more than doubles her risk of breast cancer even 20 years after she has stopped taking the pill, and women who have taken the pill for more than eight years also dramatically increase their risk for all cancers.

A woman who has taken the pill for longer than eight years increases her risk of developing cancers of the central nervous system or pituitary system by more than five times.

I guess the jury is still out on this one, but I think we need to watch this carefully. If you are at all worried go and see your doctor and talk it over, there are different types of pills that you can try.