Can't find your estrogen patch? Here's why and what you can do

SALT LAKE CITY — You'd think getting a prescription from your doctor means you're all set. But for many Utah women, filling a popular prescription has turned into quite the hunt.

Demand for estradiol patches is soaring, and pharmacies can't keep them in stock.

Estradiol patches deliver estrogen through the skin. Thousands of Utah women use them, and at one of the state's largest health plans, PEHP, use has jumped 167% in just two years.

Now, pharmacies are struggling to keep up.

Cherie Hansen found that out firsthand.

"Hot flashes, night sweats, low energy, and just overall feeling change in your body," Hansen said, describing the symptoms she started experiencing earlier this year.

Hansen found a gynecologist who specializes in menopause and decided to try hormone therapy.

"She tested my, you know, hormones. She put me on a patch. I feel fantastic," explained Hansen.

Getting her first prescription was easy. Getting a refill wasn't.

"They were like, 'Sorry, that's on back order. And we actually have no timeline of when it will be back in stock," Hansen said.

With no clear timeline for when the patches would be available again, Hansen took matters into her own hands.

"I started calling around to other pharmacies here in Davis County where I live, and the third one, I found it," she said.

Hansen rushed to pick up the prescription, worried it would sell out.

"The pharmacy tech was really cute cuz she was like, 'Oh my gosh, I have one left.' So it was very clear that it was kind of like I just found, like, the diamond in the rough," exclaimed Hansen.

A shortage driven by rising demand

We wanted to see just how hard these patches are to find right now. KSL producer Mindy Dunyon tried filling her own prescription but ran into the same problem.

When she asked a pharmacy for the twice-weekly patches, she was told they weren't available.

The pharmacist said the product had been on back order since May.

The Food and Drug Administration acknowledges that women are having trouble getting their patches, but it hasn't officially declared a shortage.

Erin Fox, associate chief pharmacy officer for shared services at the University of Utah, said she considers the situation a shortage when patients can't get a medication and pharmacies can't purchase it.

"When our patients can't get a drug, when our pharmacies can't purchase a drug, when the manufacturers tell us that it's on back order, we consider that to be a shortage," Fox said.

So why are these patches suddenly so hard to find?

Fox pointed to a change in how estrogen products are labeled. In November 2025, the FDA removed a warning from estrogen products known as a "black box warning," which had flagged risks associated with hormone therapy.

After the FDA changed the labeling, Fox said, more patients and physicians became comfortable with the treatment.

"A lot more patients and physicians felt comfortable prescribing those products and then taking them, and that just, you know, skyrocketed the demand, "Fox noted.

Demand may continue to climb. This month, the nation's leading group of OB-GYNs issued its first new menopause guidelines since 2014, strongly recommending hormone therapy for hot flashes and night sweats.

Meanwhile, manufacturers are trying to catch up.

"Manufacturers and production overall has increased by 50% since last year, but clearly it's not enough," Fox said.

What to do if you can't find your prescription

If you can't fill your estradiol patch prescription, there are options.

Registered pharmacist Phil Cowley has advice. "Your first move is going to be call a couple of other pharmacies," Cowley said.

If that doesn't work, Cowley shared some tips to consider.

• Ask your doctor to prescribe both once-a-week and twice-a-week patches.

• Ask about alternative treatments, including creams and tablets.

• Plan ahead and start looking for a refill before you run out.

If an alternative prescription costs more, there may be ways to lower the price.

"Brand name products quite often will have a manufacturer coupon that's available with it. And so even if your insurance doesn't cover it, it will reduce the price," Cowley said.

Patients worry about losing progress

For Hansen, the cost has been a source of frustration, but her bigger worry is having to start over after finding a treatment that works for her.

"Once I've, like, kind of normalized, I don't want to have to deal with changing again because you can't get the patch," she said.

Cowley said the shortage has left patients scrambling to find their medication.

"And because of that desperation, this is a real problem. Estradiol patches need to be available," Cowley said.

For now, there is no clear timeline for when supply will catch up with demand.

To check the status of specific estradiol products, patients can consult the national drug shortage list maintained with help from the University of Utah at ashp.org/drug-shortages.

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