NHS HRT prescribing hits record two million women, doubling in five years

5 August 2026

More than two million women aged 40 and over in England received a National Health Service (NHS) prescription for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2025/26, more than double the 800,000 recorded in 2020/21, according to new data from the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), an arm's length body of the Department of Health and Social Care.

The figures, drawn from prescriptions dispensed in the community between 2015/16 and 2025/26, show sharp regional and socioeconomic variation.

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