Menopause treatment to cost only £20 a year in new scheme, here's how you can access it

Hundreds of thousands of women are expected to benefit from new prescription rules made by the Department of Health and Social Care. The changes will see women now pay less than £20 a year for menopause hormone replacement therapy, saving hundreds of pounds each year for many.

The new rule is estimated to impact 400,000 women with the prescription pre-payment certificate for HRT valid for 12 months at a time.

Hormone replacement therapy

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps mitigate the symptoms of the menopause such as hot flushes, mood swings and loss of libido. According to the Department of Health and Social Care, approximately 15 percent of women aged 45-64 in England are currently prescribed HRT.

Minister for Women, Maria Caulfield celebrated the decision, as per The Independent:

Around three-quarters of women will experience menopause symptoms, with one-quarter experiencing severe symptoms, which can seriously impact their quality of life.

Reducing the cost of HRT is a huge moment for improving women’s health in this country, and I am proud to be announcing this momentous step forward.

In our Women’s Health Strategy, we made menopause a top priority – by making HRT more accessible, we’re delivering on our commitment to women.

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HRT prepayment certificate

Starting from April 1 patients will now be able to buy an £18.70 annual pass for HRT. Women will be able to apply for the pre-payment certificate online or at a pharmacy. The certficate entitles them to unlimited HRT prescriptions issued by their doctor with patches, tablets and topical preparations all available and included in the fee.

Campaigners are happy with the move but would like to see ministers go even further and make prescriptions completely free.

Thorrun Govind, chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, feels more should be done, as per The Sun:

This is good news for women but if the Government truly wanted to tackle health inequalities it would scrap the prescription charge completely.

Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, also celebrated the move as an important start to improving medical care for women going through the menopause, as per The Independent:

Thisannouncement is an important first step, and we hope that more will be done to address the challenges and inequalities faced in accessing menopause care and treatment.

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Sources used:

- The Sun 'HRT HELP HRT prescriptions to cost less than £20 per year in menopause campaign win'

- The Independent 'HRT: Around 400,000 women to receive cheaper menopause treatment'