Demand for menopause hormone therapy is on the rise – but training gaps remain for doctors

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 08, 2026 · 751 words · By Michelle Wise

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What to know about Demand for menopause hormone therapy is on the rise – but training gaps remain for doctors

The author discusses the increasing demand for menopause hormone therapy (MHT) and the resulting supply shortages in New Zealand. The article advocates for improved medical education and New Zealand-specific research to address gaps in menopause care.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 11

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center83%

Right17%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Higher awareness of the benefits of menopause hormone therapy (MHT) has led to rising demand for treatment – so much so that manufacturers can’t keep up and New Zealand’s drug-funding agency Pharmac had to temporarily ration supplies.

Why it matters

Most women today are prescribed body-identical hormones, including transdermal estradiol (patch or gel) and progesterone capsules, to treat menopause symptoms including hot flushes or night sweats.

Common ground

Estrogen relieves symptoms, while progesterone protects the lining of the uterus and may have benefits for sleep.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Demand for menopause hormone therapy is on the rise – but training gaps remain for doctors?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that New Zealand’s drug-funding agency Pharmac had to temporarily ration supplies [of menopause hormone therapy]?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/demand-for-menopause-hormone-therapy-is-on-the-rise-…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 2

help Insufficient Evidence 2

schedule Pending 1

verified

Claim 1: “New Zealand’s drug-funding agency Pharmac had to temporarily ration supplies [of menopause hormone therapy].”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence explains what Pharmac is (a NZ Crown entity), but none of the search results or Wikipedia entries mention the specific act of rationing menopause hormone therapy supplies.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A general election took place in New Zealand on 14 October 2023 to determine the composition of the 54th New Zealand Parliament. Voters elected 122 members to the unicameral New Zealand House of Repre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_New_Zealand_general_elect…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand was part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first case of the disea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_New_Zeala…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pharmaceutical Management Agency (Māori: Te Pātaka Whaioranga), better known as Pharmac, is a New Zealand Crown entity that decides, on behalf of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, which medicines…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharmac

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 2: “four out of ten medical schools in the UK don’t have mandatory menopause education in the curriculum”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 3: “MHT can now also be considered a first-line therapy to prevent menopause-related bone loss.”

CORROBORATED

Web results confirm that MHT is used to prevent menopause-related bone loss and is beneficial for the management of osteoporosis.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 1, 2026 ... Women with premature menopause also benefit from the bone-protective benefit of HT. However, they may lose protection after they stop taking ...
https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/276104-overview

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 20, 2025 ... Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is most beneficial before 60 years of age or within 10 years of menopause. Other menopause-related symptoms ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12463494/

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web search NEUTRAL — Estrogen deficiency leads to rapid bone loss which is maximal within the first 2–3 years after the menopause transition and can be prevented by menopause ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S15216…

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Claim 4: “a survey in the US found most obstetrics and gynaecology training programmes lack modules on menopause.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 5: “The 18-year data from the Women’s Health Initiative trial found overall mortality was no different between people who took five years of MHT versus placebo.”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources explicitly state that 18-year follow-up data from the WHI showed no significant difference in overall mortality between those who took MHT for five years and the placebo group.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of notable clinical studies of menopausal hormone therapy (estrogen and/or progestogen therapy) in women, including randomized controlled trials and observational studies.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_clinical_studies_of_me…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Self-care is the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and actively manage illness when it occurs. Individuals engage in some form of self-care…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-care

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was a series of clinical studies initiated by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1991, to address major health issues causing morbidity and mortality i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_Health_Initiative

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Most women today are prescribed body-identical hormones, including transdermal estradiol (patch or gel) and progesterone capsules, to treat menopause symptoms”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm that body-identical hormones, specifically transdermal estradiol and progesterone capsules, are commonly prescribed today.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Most women today are prescribed body-identical hormones, including transdermal estradiol (patch or gel) and progesterone capsules, to treat menopause symptoms including hot flushes or night sweats.
https://theconversation.com/demand-for-menopause-hormone-the…

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web search NEUTRAL — Transdermal estradiol and micronized progesterone have been shown to be safer options than other formulations. The FDA has removed the outdated “Black Box warning” on estrogen therapy, although it sti…
https://coral.ca/learn/menopause-hormone-therapy-safety-bene…

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web search NEUTRAL — Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), more accurately known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), may help some folx supplement estrogen and progesterone lost during menopause. The decline of hormones dur…
https://www.healthline.com/health/hrt-online

schedule

Claim 7: “New Zealand released a women’s health strategy in 2023 with the goal of “supporting women to live longer in better health”, prioritising better support for menopause.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “It also suggested hormone therapy did not protect from heart attacks as hypothesised.”

CORROBORATED

Sources indicate that the initial WHI results contradicted the hypothesis that hormone therapy protected against heart attacks, leading to the trial being stopped early.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), also known as bioidentical hormone therapy (BHT) or natural hormone therapy, is the use of hormones that are identical on a molecular level with endoge…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioidentical_hormone_replaceme…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the abse…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_health

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 9: “The initial Women’s Health Initiative trial was published in 2002.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the Wikipedia entry for WHI mentions the start date of 1991, the specific 2002 publication date is a widely recognized historical fact in medical literature and is supported by the context of the provided search results discussing the 'initial results' and '2002' in the context of the trial's impact.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Staci Ann Gruber is a neuroscientist who works as an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and as director of the Cognitive and Clinical Neuroimaging Core (CCNC) and of the Marij…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staci_Gruber

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Studies of transdermal estrogen treatments such as patches and gels have found little to no association with stroke and blood clots.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources state that transdermal estrogen (patches/gels) has little to no association with blood clots and stroke compared to oral versions.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Studies of transdermal estrogen treatments such as patches and gels have found little to no association with stroke and blood clots. Subsequent changes in clinical guidelines have been significant.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-demand-menopause-horm…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learn how transdermal vs. oral estrogen impacts blood clots and find your best HRT.Transdermal Estrogen: The hormone is applied to the skin in the form of a patch, gel, or cream and absorbed through t…
https://bywinona.com/journal/treatments/transdermal-vs-oral-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Transdermal estrogen (such as patches, gels, or sprays) is generally preferable in certain situations, especially when minimizing the risk of blood clots is important. Here at Alloy, we recommend cons…
https://www.myalloy.com/knowledge-base/in-which-situations-i…

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Claim 11: “the trial found an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke and blood clots in women taking combination hormone therapy for five years, compared to a placebo.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that the initial WHI results linked combination hormone therapy (synthetic estrogen and progestin) to an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke, and blood clots.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Balance: A Perimenopause Journey is an American four-part documentary series directed by monk-filmmakers Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti. The series was released on January 30, 2026, as a tr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balance:_A_Perimenopause_Journ…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hot Flash Havoc is a feature-length documentary film focused on menopause. The film, narrated by Goldie Hawn, describes the journey through perimenopause, menopause and into post-menopause by examinin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Flash_Havoc

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+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.