Hormone Therapy in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review

Sung Wook Choi; Juhee Kim; Jae Hoon Lee; Seul Ki Kim; Sa Ra Lee; Sung Hoon Kim; Hee Dong Chae

doi:10.6118/jmm.21036

Hormone Therapy in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review

J Menopausal Med. 2022 Apr;28(1):1-8. doi: 10.6118/jmm.21036.

Authors

Sung Wook Choi¹, Juhee Kim¹, Jae Hoon Lee², Seul Ki Kim³, Sa Ra Lee¹, Sung Hoon Kim⁴, Hee Dong Chae¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
² Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. kimsung@amc.seoul.kr.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted the medical, social, and reproductive health of millions of people since its outbreak. The causative virus transmits, reproduces, and manifests through the respiratory tract. COVID-19 can invade any system of the body, including the cardiovascular and endocrine systems, through a secondary immune response. In particular, because the fatality rate is high in those over the age of 50 years, special attention is required during the medical care of this population. However, considering the benefit of therapy and the risk of COVID-19, high-quality evidence regarding individualized management in relation to hormone therapy is still insufficient in the field of gynecology. Furthermore, this review aims to serve as a reference for clinical application by analyzing and summarizing the results of studies reported to date regarding female hormone therapy in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Contraceptives; Hormone therapy; Vaccine.

Publication types

Review