B.C. health officials say there is a shortage of estrogen patches in the province, but say there are other options available.
“I write a lot of prescriptions for menopausal hormone therapy, and there is definitely a shortage of estrogen patches that women are using,” naturopathic doctor Allana Polo told Global News.
“So we’ve just had to pivot, and we’ve found some alternatives that women can use while we’re waiting, which work just as well, so there’s other options for sure.”
Polo said patients like the patches as they are applied to the body and changed twice a week, whereas the alternatives are a daily application option.
Recently, B.C. announced that as of March 1, menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) will be covered 100 per cent in the province for any resident enrolled in MSP.
But Polo said they started seeing a shortage before free coverage started.
“Now what we’re seeing over the last few months definitely is a lot of women and an uptick of taking hormones,” she said.
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“We now know that there’s options available for women. They don’t have to suffer anymore. And as women talk about it and it becomes more mainstream, more and more women are wanting to use estrogen and other hormones.”
Polo said there is still a delay for some of the specific milligrams of the brand-name Estradot patch, as it is very popular, but more are becoming available.
“I think the biggest concern, and it’s a valid one, is as support grows for taking hormone replacement therapy or menopause hormone replacement, more and more women are going to want it,” she added.
“So I think that concern is when will the shortage actually be over and will there be enough available to fit the demand, because the demand is so high.”
Founder of Menopause Chicks, Shirley Weir, told Global News that this is not the first time they have seen a manufacturer’s shortage of estrogen patches and, as awareness grows about menopause and treatments, she said it is bound to happen.
“But the other thing I think everyone needs to understand about the patch is that it’s one mode of delivery for menopause hormone therapy,” she said.
“So every pharmaceutical manufacturer will be able to make pills or make liquids or gels, but not every manufacturing facility can create the patch, which is a slow-release form of transdermal estrogen. ”
Weir said individuals navigating perimenopause to postmenopause should know that menopause hormone therapy is the first-line recommendation for individuals.
“The most common reasons it’s prescribed is for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms, the prevention of bone loss and then vaginal hormone therapy for everything to do with our genitourinary health and it has other benefits too for certain individuals that can be very supportive of sleep and mood, for example,” she said.
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