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Ovulation increases women's susceptibility to infections
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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A new study published in the journal Leukocyte Biology suggests that high levels of estradiol during ovulation in women reduce the effectiveness of their immune system, which may lead to an increased risk of infections.
Scientists have concluded that a woman's ovarian cycle plays an important role in her susceptibility to infections. In particular, scientists from Spain and Austria have found that women during ovulation are more susceptible to infections such as Candida Albicans and other sexually transmitted diseases than at any other time during the reproductive cycle. This natural "gap" in a woman's immunity, provided by nature, is necessary to increase sperm survival and successful fertilization of the egg.
"This discovery could explain why, during ovulation, women have a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV or HPV," said Miguel Reloso, a scientist involved in the study at Complutense University in Madrid, Spain.
To test the effects of estradiol on treating infection, the researchers conducted an in vivo study in mice. The mice were dosed with estradiol and then infected with C. albicans. After studying the mice, Reloso and his colleagues found that the sex hormone estradiol increased susceptibility to systemic candidiasis (a fungal infection). Mice with high estradiol levels were more susceptible to fungal infection and had a lower Th17 immune response.
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