Unacceptable shortage of menopause drugs harming women say experts

UNACCEPTABLE shortages of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are harming women while a struggle to access some contraceptives risks a rise in unplanned pregnancies and abortions, experts say.

Many women approaching menopause in the UK have been struggling to access the drugs for the past year, which reproductive health bodies say is due to ongoing manufacturing and supply issues.

But the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and British Menopause Society (BMS) say it is still unclear why the shortages started and why they “seem to be unique to the UK”. There are also concerns that more recent reports of shortages of contraceptives will be detrimental to the physical and mental wellbeing of women and girls, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) said.

The three organisations have written to Health Secretary Matt

Hancock calling for a group to be set up to address the root cause of the shortages, following what they call an “extremely frustrating” lack of transparency.

Dr Edward Morris, RCOG president, said: “We understand the HRT supply situation should begin to improve from February 2020 as the range of products which supply 70% of the HRT patch market will be re-introduced to the UK market.

“However a number of HRT medications and contraceptives remain unavailable, some until the end of this year, and some with no timeline as to when they will be back on the market.”