Lobular Pattern of Mammary Tissue After Long-term Use of Combined Hormonal Contraceptives

Abstract

By means of a prospective, morphological study covering several years we have been able to show that the relative risk of fibroadenoma, fibrocystic disease and carcinoma is not increased by long-term oral contraceptive use. There likewise was no increase in the rate of recurrence of fibroadenoma or fibrocystic disease. Qualitative and quantitative histomorphological analysis indicated that though long-term use of contraceptives led to a generally higher differentiation of the lobular system, it did not lead to secretory activity of the kind seen in mamma lactans. However, the changes oberseved were too varied and discrete to allow us to infer contraceptive use from tissue pattern type. Mammary gland tissue is thus not as acutely sensitive to steroids as endometrium.