A headline lands, and my phone starts ringing. “Dr. Murray, do I have to stop my hormones?” This time the worry is about hormone therapy autoimmune risk, after a large new study made the rounds. I understand the fear. I also refuse to let a scary headline override good, personalized care.
Here is what happened. Researchers looked at nearly 1.8 million women and found a small uptick in autoimmune disease among hormone therapy users. That sounds alarming. But the details matter more than the headline.
Women come to me caught between two bad options: stay scared or ignore the news entirely. Neither is right. So let me walk you through what this study actually shows, and what it does not.
What the Hormone Therapy Autoimmune Risk Study Found
Let me give you the real numbers. Researchers presented the study at The Menopause Society 2025 Annual Meeting. They followed nearly 1.8 million women, mean age 60.5, and compared hormone therapy users with non-users.
Here’s what they found. Hormone therapy users had a higher rate of autoimmune disease at several points:
- At 5 years: 6.7% of users versus 5.3% of non-users
- At 10 years: 8.6% versus 6.7%
- Across the full period past menopause: 9% versus 7.1%
This held for all autoimmune diseases except Graves’ disease and autoimmune hepatitis. Translation: the pattern was broad but not universal.
Why Hormone Therapy Autoimmune Risk Is Not the Whole Story
Here is the part the headlines skipped. This was a database study. So it shows association, not proof of cause. A difference of one to two percentage points can come from many things a database cannot untangle.
Think about who chooses hormone therapy and why. Women on hormone therapy see doctors more often. So those doctors catch and diagnose conditions in them more often. That alone can inflate a difference like this. The researchers themselves called for more research.
What This Looks Like in Practice
This is exactly why I practice the way I do. At Living Well Dallas Functional Medicine Center, I do not hand every woman the same prescription and wave her out the door. I take a personal and family history, screen for autoimmune red flags, and monitor over time.
Hormone therapy remains a safe, important option for many women. For hot flash symptoms, bone protection, and quality of life, it helps enormously when it fits the woman in front of me. The point is not fear. The point is personalized care with eyes open.
Key Takeaways
- The hormone therapy autoimmune risk study followed nearly 1.8 million women and found a small uptick in autoimmune disease.
- Rates ran 6.7% versus 5.3% at 5 years, 8.6% versus 6.7% at 10 years, and 9% versus 7.1% overall.
- The pattern held for all autoimmune diseases except Graves’ disease and autoimmune hepatitis.
- It was a database study, so it shows association, not proof of cause, and more research is needed.
- Hormone therapy stays safe and valuable for many women when doctors personalize and monitor care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does hormone therapy cause autoimmune disease? No study has shown that. This was a database study, so it shows an association, not cause. The difference was small and needs more research.
How big was the increase in hormone therapy autoimmune risk? Modest. Rates ran 6.7% versus 5.3% at 5 years and 9% versus 7.1% across the full period past menopause. That is a one to two point difference.
Understanding the Study
Why does association not equal cause here? Because women on hormone therapy see doctors more, so those doctors diagnose more conditions. A database cannot separate that effect from a true biological one.
Which conditions were the exception? The pattern held for all autoimmune diseases except Graves’ disease and autoimmune hepatitis. Those two did not follow the trend.
What This Means for You
Should I stop my hormone therapy? Not based on this study alone. Talk with your doctor, weigh your own history, and make the call together. For many women, the benefits still outweigh this modest signal.
How do I lower my personal risk? Personalized care is the answer. Share your family history, get screened for autoimmune red flags, and keep up regular monitoring over time.
Dr. Betty’s Bottom Line
I will not scare you off a treatment that helps millions of women, and I will not pretend a study does not exist. Both responses fail you. Hormone therapy autoimmune risk deserves honest context, not a panic headline and not a dismissive shrug.
Here is my read. The signal is real but small, and it comes from a study that cannot prove cause. That is worth watching, not worth abandoning good treatment over. For most women, hormone therapy still delivers real benefits that outweigh this modest association.
So bring the headline to your next visit. Ask how it applies to you specifically. Because the answer is not the same for every woman, and it never should be.
In-person care at Living Well Dallas Functional Medicine Center is available for patients in the Dallas area, covering a personal hormone therapy review, autoimmune screening, and ongoing monitoring built around your history. Learn more at livingwelldallas.com.
Source: The Menopause Society 2025 Annual Meeting, “Understanding the Association Between Hormone Therapy and Autoimmune Disease Risk,” https://menopause.org/press-releases/understanding-the-association-between-hormone-therapy-and-autoimmune-disease-risk