The Truth about Ovarian Cancer and Baby Powder

Following the lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson in recent years, which forced the pharmaceutical behemoth to pay millions of dollars to cancer patients and their families, many people have wondered if there is definitive evidence backing the claims.

If you’ve been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, you may be concerned that using baby powder in the genital region could be to blame. You might wonder if you should stop using baby powder completely because of this potential link. There’s no definitive answer yet, but there are clues.

Does Baby Powder Cause Ovarian Cancer?

The answer is multifaceted. First, the potential risk is not the same for all baby powders. The only powders that have been linked to ovarian cancer are talc-based powders, which Johnson & Johnson produced for many years. According to Dr. Zanotti, this link was first considered when pathologists — medical specialists who examine tissue samples to diagnose disease — discovered talc crystals in tumor specimens taken from ovarian cancer patients.

Talc is a naturally occurring mineral that, when ground up, absorbs moisture and reduces friction. This makes it an effective ingredient in baby powders, deodorants, and other personal care products.

However, after pathologists noticed talc appearing in ovarian cancer tissue samples, a number of studies were conducted to determine whether baby powder might be the culprit. As early as the 1980s, epidemiological studies — studies on the spread of disease — aimed to identify whether women who had used baby powder in the past were more likely to get ovarian cancer years later.

The results from these studies were conflicting, with some indicating a possible association and some showing none. An even bigger issue was whether any of these studies were reliable, since they were based on memory rather than fact.

"These studies are pretty difficult to do because they require women to recall and quantify their talc use from sometimes twenty and thirty years earlier," says Dr. Zanotti. In other words, because of the long length of time it can take cancer to manifest itself, women had to recall their habits from many years before, and those memories may not be accurate.  It’s very difficult for scientists to produce definitive data from studies based on patients trying to recall a past exposure to something and then link that exposure to a current disease.

Still, there’s enough information to say that while the link between talcum powder and ovarian cancer has not been definitively proven, there may still be something to it. "There is concern that irritation of the ovarian cells lining the ovary can be associated with cancer," says Dr. Zanotti. She adds that talc crystals are a known irritant, which gives some credence to the theory that they can play a part in the genesis of ovarian cancer.  And that some women who have experienced infections in the past that act as irritants, like pelvic inflammatory disease, may be at higher risk for ovarian cancer in the future.

The Bottom Line: Should You Avoid Using Talcum Powder?

Even if the evidence is not definite, Dr. Zanotti still advises her patients against using talcum-based products to be on the safe side. "At this point, there are plenty of alternatives to talcum powder for personal hygiene," she says. "I do recommend that women stay away from talcum powder in the absence of any other firm information about its safety."

To be on the safe side, if you like using powder as part of your personal hygiene routine, look for powders labeled “talc-free.”

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