Fact-checking viral claims that WHO just listed the contraceptive pill as a carcinogen

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Fact-checking viral claims that WHO just listed the contraceptive pill as a carcinogen  TikTok is being flooded with claims that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has listed the pill as a 'class one carcinogen'. Euroverify fact-checks.  READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/06/30/fact-checking-viral-claims-that-who-just-listed-the-contraceptive-pill-as-a-carcinogen  Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages

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00:00Is the contraceptive pill carcinogenic, as TikTokers claim?

00:07TikTok is being flooded with videos claiming the World Health Organization

00:12has just listed the contraceptive pill as carcinogenic.

00:21But the reality is much more nuanced. Let's break it down.

00:26Firstly, this message is not new.

00:28The WHO's Specialized Cancer Agency has included certain contraceptive pills on its list one,

00:35indicating they're carcinogenic to humans, since 2005.

00:40There are two main types of the pill.

00:42The combined pill, which contains both estrogen and progestogen,

00:46and the mini pill, which contains only progestogen.

00:49Only the combined pill is included on the WHO's so-called list one,

00:54meaning there's sufficient evidence that it can cause cancer in humans.

01:00Several studies, however, have found that both of these pills

01:03slightly increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

01:08But other research has shown they can reduce the risk of other types of cancer,

01:13such as endometrial and bowel cancers.

01:16Experts say the risk level can also depend on other factors,

01:19such as age and family history of cancer.

01:22So the relationship between the pill and cancer is complex.

01:27We saw several TikTokers claim the WHO has classified the pill

01:31as a Category 1 carcinogen,

01:34on the same level as alcohol, tobacco and asbestos.

01:38But this is misleading.

01:40The so-called list one contains all the substances

01:43for which there is sufficient scientific evidence

01:46linking them to an increased risk of cancer.

01:49This doesn't mean in any way that all substances on the list

01:53carry the same risk level.

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