Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) FAQ

HRT stands for hormone replacement therapy. HRT is prescribed for menopausal symptoms. We prescribe HRT as oestrogen and progesterone. Progesterone is only prescribed to women who still have a womb, as it is used to protect the lining of your womb from cancer.

The safest type of HRT is oestrogen, which is administered through the skin via a patch, gel or spray. If you still have a womb, this is taken alongside micronised progesterone tablets, known as Utrogestan. These types of HRT do not increase your risk of blood clots.

Please see the following information for possible pros and cons of differing types of HRT.

The following information gives the dose equivalents for the different types of HRT patients might be prescribed. Read across the columns to see the dose equivalents. 

We expect HRT to start working quickly. 

After you have been taking HRT for 3 months we will want to know if it is helping you and whether you are experiencing any side effects. We will also review your blood pressure and weight at 3 months. We will repeat this 12 months after you start taking HRT too.

We will initially provide you with a 3 month supply of HRT. After that, providing there are no con-cerns, we will provide on a 12 monthly basis.

Yes, there is prescription charge for HRT. However, you can buy a HRT prepayment certficate (HRT PPC). This covers 12 months of HRT prescriptions and costs £19.30 (July 2023) which is the equivalent of two prescription charges. Note that if you take other medications on a regular basis you may be better off with a standard PPC. You can find out more about the HRT PPC here.

If you are happy with your HRT medication, we will send you a form to complete. We will need you to provide an up-to-date blood pressure reading and your weight. If there are no concerns, we can issue you more HRT and you do not need to see a practice nurse or GP.

Body identical HRT is:

• oestrogen that is taken through the skin as a patch or gel
• micronised progesterone, given as an oral capsule

Body identical HRT is the safest form of HRT.

Older types of progesterone are still very safe and can be found in the patches of HRT.

Yes, you would only need to take oestrogen HRT. You would not need progesterone as this is pre-scribed to help protect the lining of the womb from cancer.

Yes, you can take HRT if you are still having regular periods. You will be given progesterone tablets to take on a two weeks on / two weeks off cycle. You will also be given oestrogen to use daily.

If you are no longer having periods and haven’t had one for more than a year, you will be prescribed a continuous HRT regime of progesterone only, which you will take daily.

Please don’t worry if you feel you are not getting on with the HRT you have been prescribed. One size doesn’t fit all. We generally start patients on a low dose of HRT but this can be increased accord-ing to your symptoms and there are also alternatives you can try, for example patches, gels and spray. Please get in touch with us to discuss your HRT prescription if you are not getting on with what you have been prescribed.

Yes, that is correct, as Utrogestan has a sedative effect.

This is known as post-menopausal bleeding and needs a GP telephone call to discuss further. Any change in bleeding should be discussed with a GP as you may need further investigations.

The amount of oestrogen needed will vary from woman to woman. For example. younger women often need higher doses of oestrogen to improve their symptoms.

The dosage of oestrogen is 25mg low dose, 50mg medium dose and 75-100mg higher dose.

You should not exceed more than 100mg of oestrogen per day.