Exclusive | Inside the scramble for HRT as perimenopausal women get creative amid estrogen patch shortage
Elizabeth Borsting had been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for a year and a half when she noticed her estrogen patch was missing from her bag of Costco prescriptions.“They told me, ‘Yeah, we’re out, there’s a shortage, but you can pick it up [40 miles away],’’’ she told The Post. Borsting didn’t have the time to travel unexpectedly, but the clock was ticking — and she needed the patch, stat.Before HRT, she’d been battling menopausal mood swings that made her feel like a sullen teenager who was home from school, feeling sick (and pissed off) with PMS symptoms.
She couldn’t deal with that again.Borsting’s husband happened to be traveling in Utah at the time, so she sent the prescription nearly 400 miles away in the hopes that it could be filled there.
It worked, but the alert of a shortage launched her own rat race to figure out where to find estrogen patches on a regular basis — and she’s not alone.Borsting is one of many women who have faced challenges getting their hands on estrogen patches, which have been in short supply since earlier this year.“Trying to find estrogen patches right now is like a high-stakes scavenger hunt that nobody asked to be a part of,” one woman griped on TikTok.“It’s harder to find my estrogen patches and my HRT right now than it is to find buried treasure.”“I am driving all over God’s creation to find a CVS that is stocking the estrogen patches,” said another.
“Please pray I find the estrogen patches.I don’t want to be a homicidal maniac.”With no clear end to the shortage in sight — experts estimate it could last several more months to several more years — some women are going to surprising lengths to manage their symptoms, from rationing to trading to flying to other countries.During perimenopause, hormone levels fluctuate as the ovaries gradually produce less estrogen and progesterone.Besides irregular periods, this can cause symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, brai...