It’s been a great year for the NHS for offering hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Latest figures show,

Nearly 13 million items were prescribed to an estimated 2.6 million patients in the latest full financial year spanning 2023/24.

This compares to less than 11 million items for 2.3 million women in 2022/23.

It comes after the government launched a new scheme allowing women to get a year’s treatment for less than £20.

Prescription Prepayment Certificates were introduced in England in April 2023.

This covers 12 months of menopause prescription items for the cost of two single prescription charges.

This can be used against A list of HRT productsWhich includes patches, tablets and topical preparations.

According to the data, 1.9 million items were issued to patients with prepayment certificates. This accounts for approximately 15% of prescriptions in 2023/24.

But it seems that more and more patients are using this route – in June 2024 the proportion was 21%.

As women go through menopause – when their periods stop – hormone levels change, which can cause symptoms like hot flushes and anxiety.

HRT increases hormones such as estrogen, which begin to decline around the time of menopause, and can help relieve symptoms.

NHS data also shows:

• Patients aged 50 to 54 were the largest group, accounting for nearly a quarter of those receiving prescriptions.
• Prescription rates varied across the country
• The number of identified patients receiving an HRT prescription was more than double in the least deprived areas in England compared to the least deprived areas.