Some 1.9 million patients received HRT in 2021-22, up 31 percent from 1.5million the year before, says the NHS Business Services Authority. And 7.8 million therapy items – including pills, patches and gels – were prescribed in England.
The medications offer women relief from symptoms caused by hormone changes, including dryness, h low mood, hot flushes and insomnia.
Davina, 54, presented Sex, Myths and the Menopause for Channel 4 and has told how she “couldn’t stop crying” during her own struggles with various symptoms.
Activists who have fought to end the menopause taboo and dispel misconceptions about HRT celebrated the update.
Caroline Nokes MP, chair of the Women and Equalities Committee, said: “This is brilliant news and a really clear indication women are understanding better what is available and having the confidence to go and ask their GP for help.
“For too long, menopause has been a taboo, and women have been afraid to even mention they are going through it.”
However, the data also revealed how almost twice as many patients were receiving HRT in the least deprived areas of England compared to the most deprived.
MP Carolyn Harris said access must be equal as she bemoaned the “vast inequality across the country” exposed by the data. Ms Harris said she was also concerned ongoing shortages have left some women unable to collect their prescriptions.
She added: “We must not lose sight of the fact that more needs to be done to reach women in the most deprived communities and to increase production of HRT products to ensure that supply meets demand going forward.”
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