Previous studies of other dangerous respiratory viruses, such as Sars and Mers, have suggested the importance of oestrogen.
However, the King’s research, conducted using data from the university’s symptom-tracking app, is the first of its kind to establish the link with Covid-19.
Oestrogen is thought to influence how many immune cells a person produces and how well these respond to infection.
Known as the “female hormone”, it is present in higher proportions in women than in men.
There have been more Covid deaths among men across most age groups in England and Wales, with 55% of the toll accounted for by males overall since the start of the pandemic.
Only in the 85-and-over category were there more female deaths, probably due to the fact that there are more women than men in that age group.
Dr Karla Lee, who co-led the new study, said: “We hypothesised that premenopausal women with higher oestrogen levels would have less severe Covid-19 when compared to women of the same age and BMI who had been through the menopause, and our findings supported this.”
Women on the pill less likely to get serious Covid-19
Image: ISTOCK
Women on the pill are less likely to develop serious Covid-19, a study has found, helping to explain why men have suffered worse from the illness.
Analysis of more than half a million women during May and June by King’s College London has identified the crucial role of oestrogen in protecting against Covid-19.
Scientists established that those taking the combined oral contraceptive pill were on average 13% less likely to develop serious symptoms.
Meanwhile, postmenopausal women appeared to have a 22% higher risk compared with premenopausal women.
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Previous studies of other dangerous respiratory viruses, such as Sars and Mers, have suggested the importance of oestrogen.
However, the King’s research, conducted using data from the university’s symptom-tracking app, is the first of its kind to establish the link with Covid-19.
Oestrogen is thought to influence how many immune cells a person produces and how well these respond to infection.
Known as the “female hormone”, it is present in higher proportions in women than in men.
There have been more Covid deaths among men across most age groups in England and Wales, with 55% of the toll accounted for by males overall since the start of the pandemic.
Only in the 85-and-over category were there more female deaths, probably due to the fact that there are more women than men in that age group.
Dr Karla Lee, who co-led the new study, said: “We hypothesised that premenopausal women with higher oestrogen levels would have less severe Covid-19 when compared to women of the same age and BMI who had been through the menopause, and our findings supported this.”
She said that when they compared a younger group of women on the combined oral contraceptive pill with a similar group not taking it, there was less severe Covid among those taking the pill.
This suggested hormones in the pill “may offer some protection against Covid-19”.
The study found postmenopausal women had a higher rate of predicted Covid-19 than other studied women.
HRT use, in postmenopausal women between 50-65 years, was associated with an increased rate of predicted Covid-19 but not with hospitalisation. — The Telegraph
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