HRT shortages: the real reason women were left without HRT?

Recent hormone replacement therapy (HRT) shortages have been a real issue for many women. ‘I've been left to go from store to store checking which chemist might have it.’ ‘I've been given something completely different and it does not suit me.’

First tablets went out of stock, then patches, and before long many of the most commonly prescribed HRT methods were completely absent from shelves. Women were left to knock on the doors of pharmacies far and wide and some even resorted to going to Spain to buy their HRT.

Speculation was rampant. Was it the manufacturers? Was it the wholesalers? Was it pre-Brexit stockpiling? Was it the NHS itself? Yet, if you were to speak to those of us who regularly prescribe HRT, it was rare for our patients to go without.

No, we simply knew how to access other HRTs that were very similar or as good as those HRTs that were not available. Yes, gels and tablets may not be as convenient as a single patch, but they offered better alternatives than using nothing. A change in brands occasionally led to minor side-effects or a change in bleeding pattern, but on the whole women appreciated the chance to try a close equivalent to their usual medication. The simple fact is that no-one needed to go without any HRT at all.