Studies Suggest Use of Estrogen Might Protect Women Against HIV

Applying estrogen to the vagina might protect against HIV infection by thickening the vaginal lining, according to animal studies presented this week at the 7th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Dr. Preston Marx of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and his colleagues removed the ovaries from 18 monkeys to halt hormone production.

They then injected a third of the monkeys with estrogen and a third with progesterone. The remainder received no hormones. A solution of the monkey form of HIV was squirted into their vaginas. All the animals who received no hormones and five of the six who received progesterone became infected, but none of those who received estrogen did. The researchers hope that a vaginal estrogen cream would be as effective as the injections.