Estradiol May Protect Against herpes, Mouse Study Suggests.

reported that a mouse study published in PLOS Pathogens has “uncovered the underlying properties of estradiol (present during the menstrual cycle) that allow it to create an antiviral response.” Working with mice, investigators “examined its influence on the herpes simplex virus, type 2 (HSV-2).” Mice that were treated with estradiol and were “given two rounds of an HSV-2 vaccine and then a high dose of the virus” ended up with “less severe disease symptoms.” The majority of them also survived, compared with an unimmunized control group. http://www.hcplive.com/medical-news/birth-control-may-protect-against-herpes