UK HRT patch shortages leave patients facing switches until winter
FemSeven Conti patches are out of stock in the United Kingdom and are not expected to return until late November, according to a Department of Health and Social Care supply notification issued in the week of 15 October. The Guardian
The patches contain estradiol and levonorgestrel and are changed once a week. Listed alternatives are Evorel Conti, Estradot Conti 30/95 and Estradot Conti 40/130. Those alternatives contain estradiol and norethisterone and are used twice a week.
Paula Briggs, former chair of the British Menopause Society, advised that keeping the same dose of estradiol is the important aspect when switching patches. The guidance matters because HRT, prescribed for menopause symptoms, often requires careful dose matching to remain effective and tolerable.
Various Estradot estradiol patches are also in shortage, with supplies not expected to stabilise until January. Shortages of some Estradot products began in December 2024, according to NHS Business Services Authority. Sehar Shahid of the National Pharmacy Association board described the Estradot shortage as the second longest running individual medicine shortage in the UK.
Both Estradot and FemSeven Conti patches are facing manufacturing or distribution delays, the BBC reported. A surge in demand since last year for estrogen patches to ease menopause symptoms has strained supplies and led to shortages, according to Reuters.
Almost 2 million women in England aged 40 and above were prescribed HRT for menopause symptoms in 2025-26, according to NHS Business Services Authority. In the United States, pharmacies have reported inconsistent supply amid rising demand, though the Food and Drug Administration has not designated estrogen patches as being in shortage.
In Britain, temporary rules known as serious shortage protocols enable pharmacists to provide specific alternatives when a prescribed medicine is scarce. The UK government issued 23 such protocols, some of which allowed pharmacists to supply alternatives to prescribed HRT medications, according to government guidance.
