HRT helps women fight Covid - but not being prescribed

[fastwigglylines]

Article in the Guardian/Observer today.

mounting evidence that HRT can help menopausal women recover from the virus, but little action is being taken

Quite simply, research suggests that women with more oestrogen in their bodies are less likely to die and more likely to have milder symptoms of Covid-19. Doctors are also discovering that topping up low hormone levels seems to help some women suffering from long Covid. Yet, this area of research is being sorely neglected. I wonder why?

We know that two thirds of coronavirus deaths occur in men. But the female Covid mortality rate starts to rapidly increase as women hit their fifties – after menopause, when their protective hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, drain away.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/28/if-oestrogen-can-save-women-from-the-worst-of-covid-they-should-be-given-it

Doesn't that mean men wishing to avoid covid death should be given oestrogen too?

That's very interesting!

It's one long opinion piece (90% opinions) that draws on findings/speculations of one scientific peer review study about estradiol. It reads like estradiol would be hugely beneficial to men, too.

Wasn't there some trial of giving HRT to men to see if it helped? As far as i remember it didn't.

Oh thats interesting. I'd guess studies are in their infancy still.

Who says women aren’t given HRT?!

lady when we go to the GP suffering with symptoms and our concerns are dismissed as too young / not showing in blood tests / too stressed and busy / it's depression / too risky.

I've come off HRT as difficulties in getting hold of it meant that I never got the same prescription twice!

So it's a good idea in principle but may be difficult to put into practice.

@megletsecond

lady when we go to the GP suffering with symptoms and our concerns are dismissed as too young / not showing in blood tests / too stressed and busy / it's depression / too risky.

Agree. I'm a doctor, did my research and contacted the GP for HRT. I felt like I was being whiny and went through 2 doctors before saying that I'd just soldier on and try and get through it. In the end an excellent woman GP prescribed it for me.

I wouldn't have believed they could be so dismissive if it hadn't happened to me.

@lljkk

Doesn't that mean men wishing to avoid covid death should be given oestrogen too?

Anecdotally a doctor mentioned to me that it’s been noticed that men with lower testosterone are iller. Obviously I don’t know much more than that but it may be linked to something else generally.

Cornettoninja

Anecdotally a doctor mentioned to me that it’s been noticed that men with lower testosterone are iller. Obviously I don’t know much more than that but it may be linked to something else generally.

There are a some studies which show that. What isn't clear is whether it's cause or effect. One theory is that the virus gets into the testicles, takes up residence as it were, and then uses them as a reservoir for the rest of the body, knocking out testosterone production in the process (testosterone has a fairly short life in the body so levels drop quickly). The other is that testosterone functions as a parallel to oestrogen in women and men who already have low levels have weaker immune systems and so are more susceptible to the virus.

I agree. Time and again GPs are reluctant to prescribe HRT. I went to see a consultant gynoecologist in the end who was despairing of the issue. She told me she was involved in training GPs...

Thousands of women are taking HRT.

If your GP refuses your request for it, ask for an explanation.

If you're still not satisfied ask to be referred to a specialist.

Tricky at the moment, obviously, but the first two sentences are still doable, although might require quite a lot of persistence.