World Menopause Day - HRT Patient Update

On World Menopause Day we wanted to update our patients on the current situation with regard to your HRT supply through Oxford Online Pharmacy.

As you may be aware, there have been some availability issues throughout the UK with HRT products over recent months. Some of these issues are related to manufacturing shortages, while others are related to supply.

Oxford Online Pharmacy would like to reassure our patients that these shortages are temporary and pharmaceutical companies are working hard to resolve the issue.

In the meantime, our prescribers are able to provide equivalent preparations at a similar dose to the one their patient is using. If an exact match is not possible, a suitable alternative will be found.

HRT is the most effective treatment available to relieve symptoms caused by the menopause such as hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings and bladder symptoms. For the vast majority of women under the age of 60, the benefits of HRT outweigh the risks.

There is some evidence that taking HRT, especially HRT with oestrogen alone, actually reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes in women. The benefits are greatest in those women who start HRT within ten years of their menopause. HRT can also lower your cholesterol levels which is beneficial for your heart and body. Furthermore, taking HRT - even at a low dose - can prevent, and even reverse, the bone loss that occurs post menopause, reducing the risk of bone fractures, due to osteoporosis.

While there has been some suggestion that combined (oestrogen and progestogen) HRT may be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, studies have shown that this risk is low and is in fact similar to the risk of breast cancer in women who are obese, those women who have never had children and also those who drink two to three units of alcohol a day. If you are taking oestrogen only HRT, studies have shown that the risk of breast cancer is actually reduced.

Should you have any questions about HRT availability and the risks and benefits of taking HRT, please get in touch. Our team is on hand to help.

Authored by Dr Roisin Mchugh, on 18 October 2019.