By Sara Ashley O'Brien

The demand for medical patches that deliver steady doses of estrogen is soaring as women of a certain age seek relief from symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.

Sales of estradiol patches have grown significantly in recent years. More than 142 million units of estradiol patches were sold in 2025, according to data from IQVIA, up from about 46.5 million units five years earlier. Now, many pharmacies can't keep them in stock.

Eleven estradiol patch products are currently in shortage, according to data from the University of Utah's Drug Information Service. The products in shortage come from three manufacturers, Amneal, Sandoz and Viatris, which are aware of the issues and working to address them. Meanwhile, women are going from pharmacy to pharmacy -- and tapping their personal networks -- to track down supply.

"This is my livelihood," said Kiki Polo, 55, who is a photographer in Los Angeles. Polo began using estradiol patches about two years ago, after going through menopause. She said the patches helped relieve musculoskeletal and joint pain, night sweats, and brain fog.

For months, she's had to jump through hurdles to fill her prescription. As a stopgap solution, she has had to apply multiple lower-dose patches to hit the .075 mg dose she needed.

"I'd rather do without bread than my estradiol patch," Polo said.

"Recent changes in prescribing behavior due to the FDA's removal of boxed warnings on these products have resulted in a significant increase in US demand that cannot be fully met at present," a spokesperson for Sandoz said in a statement. "We know this situation is frustrating and inconvenient for the women who rely on these patches."

A spokesperson for Viatris, which has 10 estradiol patch products, one of which is in shortage according to Utah's data, said it is committed to supporting patient access. "We are meeting our current supply plans," the company said, adding that it is "currently taking steps to optimize current capacity and further expand production long-term."

"There has been a surge in utilization, and there is a finite amount of capacity for manufacturing these complex products," said a spokesperson for Amneal in a statement, referring to the precise formulation needed for transdermal delivery.

Estradiol patches, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in hormone replacement therapy, are prescribed to perimenopausal and menopausal women alike for the relief of symptoms like Polo's as well as hot flashes, mood swings and preventing bone loss associated with aging. The patches, often prescribed along with oral progesterone, are applied to the skin on a regular basis, either once or twice a week depending on the type.

The FDA approved the first patches in the 1990s. Then, in 2002, a government-funded clinical trial on postmenopausal women and HRT was halted after early findings that hormone therapy posed a number of health risks. The event spurred fears about HRT for women, and consumer interest plummeted.

But in recent years, menopause and perimenopause have taken over the cultural zeitgeist, as celebrities and upstart brands have embraced hormonal health. A-Listers like Naomi Watts and Halle Berry have used their star power to start companies and draw awareness to the challenges women face in midlife. Menopause "doctor-influencers" like Dr. Mary Claire Haver have attracted cult-like followings.

After more than two decades, in 2025, the FDA walked back a black box warning requirement on HRT products that followed the 2002 study.

Dr. Kathleen Jordan, chief medical officer at Midi Health, a telehealth company focused on specialized, insurance-covered care for women, said the company has heard patients have issues with getting their supply of patches since it began seeing patients in 2022 but that the volume of issues in January has exceeded the norm.

Jordan said Midi will, at times, switch patients to estradiol products that come in gel or spray form, but those are not typically covered by insurance or need prior authorization.

"We're helping women navigate this very complicated insurance healthcare system, try to optimize insurance coverage and try to make it easy to stay on their medications," Jordan said.

"We just have to make getting health care easier. There's just more hoops that everyone has to go through just to stay on. This should be basic common care."

In Facebook groups, women are swapping tips about which pharmacies they've been able to obtain the medication. They're also asking each-other for advice on real-world advice to back up pharmacist suggestions, like: Has anyone switched from a twice-weekly patch to one-a-week and did it have an impact?

Felicia Zigman, 54, who has been using estradiol patches for about nine months, said that a pharmacist told her to talk to her doctor about increasing her dosage, given the shortage of starting-dosage patches.

"It's become like the Ozempic of middle-aged women," Zigman said. "Everyone is rushing to get their HRT."

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 06, 2026 19:00 ET (00:00 GMT)

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