MedHead Message:
Well, holy cow. It would seem that an urban “myth” is really true, after all. Multiple recent studies have confirmed that women who use talcum powder have about a 25-30% increased risk of developing ovarian cancer. The weight of evidence so far seems to show the link. We’ll see if this holds up over time, but in the meantime, stop using it if you are.
References:
1. Association between Body Powder Use and Ovarian Cancer: The African American Cancer Epidemiology Study (AACES) Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2016 Oct;25(10):1411-1417
2. Genital powder use and risk of ovarian cancer: a pooled analysis of 8,525 cases and 9,859 controls.
Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013 Aug;6(8):811-21. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-13-0037
3. Perineal Talc Use and Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Epidemiology. 2018 Jan;29(1):41-4
4. Perineal powder use and risk of ovarian cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Sep 10;106(9)
5. http://health.costhelper.com/hysterectomy.html
