Cork woman calls 23 pharmacies in search of crucial hormone medication
Jessica Ní Mhaoláin. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
Shortages of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) medication have hit menopausal women yet again, with one Cork woman contacting 23 pharmacies before finding the product she needed.
Out-of-stock products include Estradot patches, which are not expected back until July, and the Oestrogel pump-pack gel, which is not expected back on shelves until later this month.
Jessica Ni Mhaoláin, 30, said she is frustrated at the inconsistent supplies of some HRT medications.
“I rang loads of chemists, just to see who had it — 23 different chemists,” she said, referring to Oestrogel.
"I rang some of the chains because you’d say surely they would have access, but they had nothing whatsoever.
“I’m following what’s going on, and I know some pharmacists might get the patches back in, but they only get one strength.
Her symptoms include severe migraines, crippling anxiety, and other physical symptoms that only HRT can address.
This is her second time struggling with HRT shortages, having had to rely on her father carrying supplies from London in similar circumstances in 2019.
She has long experience of the challenges in accessing women’s healthcare following a delayed diagnosis of endometriosis in her late 20s.
A series of complications led to her being told that she needed a hysterectomy at the unusually young age of 27, for which she had to travel to London after having three related surgeries in Ireland.
She finally overcame this month’s shortages when she tracked down Oestrogel through a Dublin pharmacy that is importing products directly from France.
“She said she can guarantee the supply for the next couple of months,” said Ms Ni Mhaoláin, an advisor to Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny. “It was bad enough I had to leave the country for the operation, never mind now I have to leave for the medicine.”
Sallyanne Brady, founder of Facebook group The Irish Menopause, said many of their 30,000 members have raised concerns about shortages despite welcome improvements to menopause care in Ireland recently.
“Don’t panic,” she said.
Her understanding is that shortages of Estradot — an extremely popular treatment — are now having a knock-on effect on supplies of other HRT medications.
“It’s not just in Ireland, it’s in the UK too, they’re worse off than us”, said Ms Brady, who emailed RTÉ’s Joe Duffy last year to highlight concerns around menopause treatment, which started a national conversation.
On the Health Products Regulator Authority medicines shortages page, these HRT treatments are marked as out due to an “unexpected increase in demand”.
A letter from the HSE attached to the list advises medical practitioners on how to switch women to other medications.
The British Menopause Society issued similar advice in recent days, saying it was told by Besins Healthcare (UK) that Oestrogel is expected to be available “soon”.
BBC Northern Ireland reported last week that women there are swapping HRT medication with each other to overcome shortages.
