Can Estrogen Therapy Protect Your Lungs?

It's possible that post-menopausal hormone therapy is protective of your lungs. The American Cancer Society studied over 72,000 post-menopausal women and found that those currently on hormone therapy had significantly lower risk of lung cancer. This reduced risk occurred for women on estrogen alone and those on estrogen plus progesterone.

One surprising finding was that this reduction of risk was true even in women who smoked. Women who smoked and who were currently on hormone therapy had a lower risk for lung cancer compared to other smoking women who were not on estrogen. The researchers did not identify exactly why this connection exists, but this study opens the door to explore what it is about estrogen that gives women an advantage in lung cancer prevention.

When considering whether to use hormone therapy during and after menopause, this is one more piece of information to put into the decision. More research will refine what we know about why estrogen may lower the risk of lung cancer, and which women benefit the most. In the meantime, quitting smoking is still the best way to lower your lung cancer risk.