Baby Powder Likely Does Not Cause Ovarian Cancer, Study Finds

BOSTON (CBS) – There's been a lot of concern that using baby powder in the genital region can raise a woman's risk for ovarian cancer. A new study in JAMA, however, suggests women may not need to worry.

There have been some high-profile lawsuits around this issue. But scientific studies have not been clear on whether powders containing talc actually put a woman at higher risk of ovarian cancer.

Researchers looked at data on more than 250,000 women and found that those who used powder in the genital region were essentially at no higher risk for developing ovarian cancer than women who never used powder, even if they used it often and over a long period of time.

While more research would be helpful, it is not likely given fewer and fewer women are using talcum powder, gynecologists say this study is reassuring.