The use of oral contraceptives reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, according to a new study published in the Lancet medical journal. The longer women use the pill, which contains progestin or a combination of the estrogen and progestin hormones, the lower is their risk of developing ovarian cancer at a later stage. While the pill is linked to breast and cervical cancer, the risk associated with these is lower than the protection offered by oral contraceptives against ovarian cancer, said study co-author Dr. Valerie Beral of Oxford University’s Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit.