Estrogen Therapy & Blood Clots: What Women Need to Know About VTE Risk

Estrogen therapy can be life-changing for menopausal symptoms, but it can also shift your body’s clotting system and increase the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). In this video, I explain the real science behind the WHI, HERS trials, and major meta-analyses, including how risk changes by age, obesity, genetics, progestin type, dose, and route of administration (oral vs transdermal). As always with my videos, this video is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for medical advice. Always discuss your results with your healthcare provider. 0:00 – Introduction: Estrogen Therapy & Blood Clot Risk 0:28 – What Is Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)? 1:22 – Early Evidence Before WHI: Observational Findings 1:55 – WHI Trial Results: Estrogen, Progestin & VTE Risk 3:05 – Evidence from the HERS Trials & Meta-Analyses 3:50 – Biological Mechanism: Why Estrogen Increases Clotting 4:30 – How Estrogen Type Changes VTE Risk 5:00 – Oral vs Transdermal Estrogen: Major Differences 5:50 – Progestin Types: Which Ones Carry Higher Risk? 6:30 – Dose, Duration & First-Year Risk 7:00 – Real-World Risk: What This Means for You 7:39 – Final Thoughts & Clinical Takeaways