From the article:
In the new study, the researchers analyzed data from 774 women aged 40 to 67 in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, conducted in seven countries between 2010 and 2012. Women in the study participated in questionnaires on their respiratory health, women’s health factors, lifestyle and sleep, and gave blood samples for hormone analysis.
551 of the women in the study (71.2%) had been told they snored, and 411 of those women also reported other symptoms of sleep apnea. Among all women, a doubling of serum concentrations of estrone was associated with 19% decreased odds of snoring. A doubling of progesterone levels was associated with 9% decreased odds of snoring. Among snorers, a doubling of the concentrations of three estrogens (17β-estradiol, estrone and estrone 3-sulfate) was associated with 17% to 23% decreased odds of women having been told they breathe irregularly during sleep. A doubling of progesterone concentration, among snorers, was associated with 12% decreased odds of having woken with a choking sensation in the previous year.