Tubal sterilization, all-cause death, and cancer among women in the United Kingdom: evidence from the Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between tubal sterilization and subsequent all-cause death and the risk of any gynecologic and breast cancer in women in the United Kingdom. A cohort study was conducted with 2801 sterilized women and 2801 nonsterilized women who were identified from the UK Royal College of General Practitioners' Oral Contraception Study. Adjusted hazard ratios and 95% CIs were calculated with Cox regression. Tubal sterilization was not associated with significantly altered risks of subsequent all-cause death or cancer. Tubal sterilization was associated with a nonsignificant reduced risk of subsequent gynecologic (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.52-1.37) and breast cancer (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.67-1.16). The absence of increased long-term death and cancer risk is reassuring, given that many women have chosen this method of contraception.