A lot of people use powder on their bodies and some ladies tend to use this powder on their private parts or close to it to prevent sweat and absorb moisture and prevent rash, but is there any risk to this? Can this powder harm you? We will find out in this article

Most powders contain talcum, and talc is one of the softest minerals in the world today, which can absorb oil, moisture, bad smells and reduce friction

But there is a new and growing evidence that using this talc in the genital areas can increase a woman’s chances of developing cancer of the ovaries, (the ovaries are a collection of eggs very close to the womb in a woman)

The more years a woman uses this talc on her genitals, the more risk she has of developing this disease if you have been using this powder on yourself and your baby, here are some of the things that you need to know

There are two kinds of talc, one that contains asbestos and the other that is free from asbestos

Asbestos has been found to cause lung cancer in people who inhale them

But what about the ones that do not contain asbestos?

Risk of Ovarian Cancer

On average, only one in 75 women may develop ovarian cancer in her life, the percentage is just one per cent when compared to breast cancer that has a higher risk of 12%, but ovarian cancers are not caught early and so the chances of survival are usually slim especially after they have spread through the body

When this cancer is found early, the chances of a woman surviving are as high as 93 per cent.

But based on research, that involved thousands of women, it revealed that women who used or reported to have used talc on their genitals were 30% more likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer than women who did not use talc

The studies that were done did not say for sure if talc caused cancer in these women as we can not validate the truthfulness of the report of the women who said they used talc on their private parts but however there is a link which was said by the International Agency for Research on Cancer says that there is an unusually consistent increase of developing cancer in the women who used talcum in the genital area

Another study done in 2016 by the African American Cancer Epidemiology Study found that women who have used talc in their genital areas or close to their vaginas were more likely to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Even the author of that study thinks its because women of African American descent were more likely to use powder around their private parts

There were over 6600 people who have filed lawsuits against Johnson and Johnson, a very popular maker of baby powder. Most of these people have ovarian cancer

However, in April 2018, they were found guilty of having products that were contaminated with asbestos, remember asbestos?

Can Baby Powder Cause Cancer?

There are only a link and no scientific evidence yet for this claim, however, this became an issue when particles of talc powder were found in the ovaries of people who had ovarian cancer

Research from 2018 also found an association between ovarian cancer and the use of talcum powder around the genitals, this association was not strong

Scientists are unable to say for sure if talcum powder causes ovarian cancer

Even men were not left out as men who used the asbestos-containing powders were said to have lung cancer

What causes Ovarian Cancer?

There are certain risk factors for ovarian cancer, they include:

• Not having children or getting pregnant
• Being obese
• Endometriosis
• Using certain hormones or fertility drugs
• Having a family history of ovarian cancer
• Previously having breast cancer or colon cancer
• Genetic mutations
• Age, older people

It is also possible not to have any of these risk factors and yet still have ovarian cancer, and to have some of the risk factors and yet not have ovarian cancer

What Can You Do?

You may argue that there is no evidence, but there have been associations.

Till there is enough evidence, truth is, there is some risk associated with the use of this powders around your private areas

The question remains, would you take the risk for something that may harm you in the long run?