Fertility Treatments Aren't Linked To Added Cancer Risk For Women, Study Concludes

Key TakeawaysFertility treatments don’t appear to increase women’s risk of cancerWomen receiving treatments have no higher overall risk of invasive cancerRisks for specific cancer vary, but likely are influenced by factors other than fertility treatment.FRIDAY, March 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Fertility treatments don’t make women more likely to develop cancer, a new study has concluded.Women undergoing medically assisted reproduction have no higher overall risk of invasive cancer than other women, researchers reported this week in JAMA Network Open.However, there are some differences based on specific cancers – some are slightly more common, others slightly less common, researchers said.Overall, these findings should be reassuring for women receiving fertility treatments, said co-lead researcher Adrian Walker, a research fellow at the University of New South Wales’ Center for Big Data Research in Health in Australia.“Women who’ve had assisted fertility should continue to participate in routine cancer screening programs they’re eligible for,” Walker said in a news release. “And they should discuss their cancer risk with their doctor, to understand how else they can reduce their risk.”For the new study, researchers analyzed health records for nearly 418,000 Australian women who received IVF, intrauterine insemination or treatment with fertility drugs between 1991 and 2018.Over an average 10 years, cancer rates were about the same among these women as they were in the general public, researchers said.Uterine and ovarian cancers were slightly more common, as was melanoma. At the same time, cervical and lung cancers were less common.“It is very normal for a specific group of people to have a slightly different cancer profile from the general population,” Walker said. “But as we see here, that doesn’t mean that their overall risk is increased.”Results showed that uterine cancer was between 23% and 83% more common, depending on the type of fertility treatment. Likewise, ovarian cancers were 18% to 23% more common in women who had IVF, and melanoma 7% to 15% more common.On the other hand, cervical cancer rates were 40% lower and lung cancer rates about 30% lower.But when researchers took a step back and looked at the overall number of additional cases, the cancer difference was small for women who underwent medically assisted reproduction.Across the cancers that were more common, the largest increases amounted to three to seven extra cases among every 100,000 women per year.“Very few medical treatments are without risk, but the elevated cancer incidence here is low,” lead researcher Claire Vajdic, a professor at the University of New South Wales’ Kirby Institute, said in a news release.Vajdic said the results need to be interpreted with caution.“This study focused on comparing rates of cancer in different populations, not whether fertility treatments themselves cause cancer,” Vajdic said. “As such, we must consider the pre-existing risks of cancer in these populations when interpreting the findings.”Researchers said there are many reasons why certain cancers were more common in women who received fertility treatment.“Women who need fertility treatment may differ from other women in ways that affect cancer risk,” Vajdic said. “Certain underlying causes of infertility, such as endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome, are known to increase the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers.”Women who undergo fertility treatment also are more likely to have other factors that will influence their cancer risk in one way or another, researchers said. They are more likely to live in a major city, be more well-off or have fair skin, and less likely to smoke.All those factors can contribute to the cancer patterns found in this study, researchers said.The research team will continue to follow these women, as longer follow-up will provide additional insights.“Continued cancer awareness is important as this population ages,” Vajdic said.More informationThe American Society for Reproductive Medicine has more on fertility drugs and cancer.SOURCE: University of New South Wales, news release, March 11, 2026 .What This Means For YouWomen thinking about fertility treatments should talk with their doctor about how these treatments might influence their cancer risk, given their specific lifestyle..Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Fertility Treatments Aren't Linked To Added Cancer Risk For Women, Study Concludes

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