HRT gel

What is HRT gel?

HRT gel, or oestrogen gel, is a topical treatment that you apply to your skin once a day. The oestrogen is absorbed through the skin and works to improve the symptoms of menopause, as well as help to maintain your long-term health. It can be particularly useful for you if you’ve had a hysterectomy but if you haven’t you can still use it, you’ll just need to take a separate form of progesterone as well.

There are two forms of oestrogen gel: Oestrogel, which comes in the form of a pump, and Sandrena, which comes in sachets. Sandrena is a slightly stronger dose than Oestrogel, and because it comes in sachets it can make it harder to tailor your dose than with the Oestrogel pump pack.

How does HRT gel work?

When your body goes through the menopause, it starts producing less of the sex hormone, oestrogen. This decrease in oestrogen levels can cause a range of symptoms associated with menopause, such as hot flushes, mood changes, vaginal dryness and night sweats, which can vary in severity from person to person. (Some women experience barely any symptoms of menopause, whereas for others they can be debilitating.) Decreased oestrogen levels can also increase the risk of health issues over time, such as lower bone density (osteoporosis).

HRT gel contains a synthetic version of the hormone oestrogen. When you apply it to your skin, it’s absorbed into your body to replace the drop-off in oestrogen levels caused by the menopause. This helps to ease the symptoms of menopause, as well as reduce the risk of long-term problems like osteoporosis.

Taking oestrogen for menopause without progesterone has been shown to cause an increased risk of womb cancer, so if you haven’t had a hysterectomy you’ll need to take a separate progestin alongside your HRT gel to reduce this risk.

What doses of HRT gel are there?

Oestrogel comes in a dose of 750mcg per actuation (pump). The amount of pumps you use will be dependent on the strength of your symptoms.

Sandrena gel, on the other hand, comes in sachets of either 0.5mg (500mcg) or 1mg.

You may be prescribed between 1-4 pumps per day of Oestrogel for your symptoms, which is a maximum of 3mg per day, whereas Sandrena gel is usually prescribed in doses ranging from 0.5mg to 1.5mg. Your clinician will want to prescribe the lowest possible dose of treatment to help your symptoms (and it’ll help your treatment last longer, too), so although the highest dose of HRT gel is 3mg, you’ll likely only use this dose if your symptoms are severe.