Do High Levels of Estrogen Impact Lupus Patients?

In general, hormone replacement therapy is less popular than birth control because of its association with heart disease, thrombosis, and breast cancer. Women who have SLE often are already at risk of blood clots and cardiovascular dangers, which leads doctors to be more concerned about them using HRT.

Even though research shows that estrogen therapy for menopausal women who live with lupus does not elevate their chance of flare-ups, the actuality is that the studies used synthetic hormone replacement therapy, which elevated the risk of mild to moderate lupus flare-ups slightly. Women who live with lupus who were using HRT in the study were 20% more likely to show lupus symptoms, though these women did not require high doses of steroids or medical treatment.