25/09/2026
If you’re on HRT, or thinking about it, it’s worth knowing about this...
Your body doesn’t simply get rid of used oestrogen. Your liver packages it up, sends it out through your bile into your gut, and certain gut bacteria can unpack it again and send it back into circulation.
That community of bacteria has a name. The oestrobolome.
Two million women in England were prescribed HRT last year, double five years ago, and almost none of them will have had this conversation.
Honest caveat: the mechanism is well established, but no trial has yet shown that changing your gut changes how well your HRT works. I’d rather tell you that than oversell it.
Swipe for what’s actually worth doing, why it matters more if you take tablets than patches, and the one thing not to do.
Never change or stop HRT without speaking to your GP or menopause specialist. Not medical advice.