Prescriptions for menopausal women have soared in the past year, with 11 million items distributed to help manage symptoms.
Official figures show that prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have increased by 47 percent compared to 2021/2022.
The medicine helps menopausal women who suffer from symptoms such as low mood, anxiety, hot flashes and sleep problems.
The rise follows an unprecedented increase in prescriptions in recent years, which many have attributed to the ‘Davina effect’ and wider awareness of menopause.
TV personality Davina McCall has released a series of documentaries about menopause which, along with the efforts of campaigners, has led to a huge increase in awareness.
In one programme, the 56-year-old former Big Brother presenter spoke about her struggle with the crippling symptoms in her 40s.
Official figures show that prescriptions for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) have increased by 47 percent compared to 2021/2022
The rise follows an unprecedented increase in prescriptions in recent years, which many have attributed to the ‘Davina effect’ and wider awareness of menopause. TV personality Davina McCall has released a series of documentaries on menopause which, along with the efforts of campaigners, has led to a huge increase in awareness
National shortages of HRT also led to a Daily Mail campaign launched last year, calling for more women to be made aware of the symptoms and treatment options.
Less than a month after the launch of the campaign, the government announced a Serious Shortages Protocol, making it easier for pharmacists to substitute HRT treatments if certain medicines are out of stock.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has also made the decision to make a certain form of HRT available without a prescription in a landmark move in Britain, and earlier this year a program came into force that will help menopausal women save over £200 per year. year.
The report, published by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), also reveals that an estimated 2.34 million identifiable patients were prescribed HRT medicines in 2022/2023 – a 29 per cent increase on the previous year. In 2020/21 this figure was 1.38 million.
Women aged 50 to 54 made up the largest group of patients receiving prescriptions, while Utrogestan capsules were the most commonly prescribed drug.
The report also highlighted that in the least deprived areas more than twice as many patients were prescribed HRT medicines as in the most deprived areas.
Campaigner Diane Danzebrink, who founded the website Menopause Support, said: ‘It is encouraging to see more patients being prescribed HRT thanks to increased awareness initiatives in recent years.
‘However, it is disappointing to see the disparity between the least and most deprived areas. This clearly highlights the need for a national public health campaign on menopause to ensure that everyone, wherever they live, has the right information at the right time to make informed choices.
‘Those who use and prescribe HRT would also welcome renewed efforts by the DHSC to ensure all products are available.
“Unfortunately, shortages of some products remain, creating more work for prescribers and anxiety for patients.”
Katie Taylor, founder of online women’s support group The Latte Lounge, also welcomed the increase but said more needs to be done.
“It saddens me that there are still too many women in some of the most deprived areas of the country who still don’t have access to the right information or know how, why and when to turn for support,” she said .
‘This is why I sincerely hope that, through the 10-year Women’s Health Strategy, all women will be able to access the right support and information through hubs and hopefully through access to a registered menopause specialist.
‘We also need much more investment and catch-up training for all healthcare professionals so that our GPs, the gatekeepers of our health, can help these women from day one.’