Data tracker, updated 2026-06-11

UK HRT Prescribing Tracker

The NHS in England dispensed 1,056,986 HRT prescription items in June 2025, the latest month published by the NHS Business Services Authority, up 10.5 percent on the same month a year earlier. Over the last 12 published months, 12.12m HRT items were dispensed. This page tracks the official monthly figures.

1.06m

HRT items in June 2025

12.12m

items over the last 12 published months (+7.1% on the prior 12)

£18.18m

actual cost in June 2025

Monthly HRT items dispensed in England

0 200k 400k 600k 800k 1000k 1200k Jul 2022Jan 2023Jul 2023Jan 2024Jul 2024Jan 2025Jun 2025
HRT prescription items per month, England, BNF paragraph 6.4.1. Source: NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset, accessed 2026-06-11.

The last 12 published months

Month HRT items Actual cost
Jun 2025 1,056,986 £18,175,059
May 2025 1,077,138 £18,036,211
Apr 2025 1,000,358 £16,777,168
Mar 2025 1,004,333 £17,060,186
Feb 2025 930,504 £15,907,869
Jan 2025 1,029,119 £17,612,100
Dec 2024 987,601 £17,575,269
Nov 2024 978,458 £17,533,813
Oct 2024 1,031,149 £18,378,517
Sept 2024 976,725 £17,357,809
Aug 2024 997,702 £17,631,382
Jul 2024 1,051,592 £17,284,321

Most prescribed HRT substances (June 2025)

Chemical substance Items
Estradiol 512,173
Progesterone 258,869
Estradiol with progestogen 193,070
Norethisterone 33,897
Medroxyprogesterone acetate 23,001
Tibolone 13,872
Estradiol valerate 8,009
Oestrogens conjugated 7,061

How we compiled this data

Every figure on this page is computed from the NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset, the official monthly record of what NHS primary care in England prescribes and dispenses, accessed through the OpenPrescribing.net API or the NHSBSA Open Data Portal. We sum prescription items and actual cost for every product under BNF paragraph 6.4.1 (female sex hormones and their modulators), the standard proxy for HRT prescribing. "Items" counts prescriptions dispensed, not the number of women on HRT; one woman typically receives several items a year. Figures cover England only and are published about two months in arrears. Last refreshed 2026-06-11; latest published month June 2025.

Information only, not medical advice. This tool is educational and is not a substitute for a registered clinician. It does not diagnose anything and does not recommend that you take any supplement. Always read product labels and speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting, stopping or combining supplements. Whether HRT is suitable for you, and which preparation, is a decision for you and your prescriber. The NHS menopause pages explain the options.

Read more

For what the evidence says about supplements through this life stage, see our menopause guide, the perimenopause guide and supplements for menopause. Verified UK figures are gathered on our statistics page, and our tools hub has cost calculators for the supplements we review.

Frequently asked questions

How many HRT prescriptions does the NHS issue each month?

In June 2025, the latest month published, 1,056,986 HRT prescription items (BNF paragraph 6.4.1, female sex hormones and their modulators) were dispensed in England, at an actual cost of about £18.18m. Source: NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset.

Is HRT prescribing going up in the UK?

Yes. June 2025 items were up 10.5 percent on the same month a year earlier, and monthly volumes have risen from 0.73m in July 2022 to 1.06m in the latest month. These figures cover England only; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland publish separately.

Which HRT is most prescribed?

By chemical substance, the most dispensed in June 2025 were Estradiol, Progesterone, Estradiol with progestogen. Estradiol-based products dominate modern NHS prescribing. Which preparation suits an individual woman is a decision for her prescriber.

Where does this data come from?

Every figure is computed from the NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset (the official record of what NHS primary care in England dispenses each month), accessed through the OpenPrescribing.net API or the NHSBSA Open Data Portal. We count all items under BNF paragraph 6.4.1, female sex hormones and their modulators, the standard proxy for HRT prescribing. Data is published about two months in arrears.

Source: NHSBSA English Prescribing Dataset (Open Government Licence v3.0), via OpenPrescribing.net / NHSBSA Open Data Portal, accessed 2026-06-11. This is information, not medical advice.

OM

Oliver Mackman

Editor, Her Vitals

Oliver leads Her Vitals's editorial coverage of women's life-stage health and supplements. He curates and reviews existing branded products across trying to conceive, pregnancy, postnatal, perimenopause, menopause and the senior years, weighing what the evidence supports against guidance from bodies such as EFSA, the NHS and NICE, and is clear that the content is information rather than medical advice.

Last reviewed: 11 June 2026