For decades, millions of women going through menopause were told to avoid hormone replacement therapy based on a 2002 study that linked estrogen use to elevated risks of heart attack and stroke, and prescriptions plummeted. Last year, the FDA reversed course, removing the longstanding black box warning from estrogen products and publicly promoting hormone therapy for appropriate patients after evolving evidence showed that the original conclusions were tied to the specific oral formulations used in that study and did not apply to the transdermal patches and gels that have become the standard of care. The result has been a surge in demand so significant that pharmacies across the country are struggling to keep estrogen patches on shelves, with industry sources telling Reuters that shortages could last up to three years as manufacturers race to scale production. More than one million women in the United States enter menopause every year.
Into that gap has stepped Hims and Hers, the telehealth company, which announced this week that it has secured a steady supply of estrogen patches and will now offer personalized menopause and perimenopause treatment plans through its Hers platform, with patch kits starting at $134 per month. Patients connect with licensed providers trained specifically in menopause care, can adjust their treatment plans over time, and have access to a round-the-clock care team and educational resources through the Hers app. The expansion follows a broader cultural shift in which physicians, researchers, and patients are increasingly refusing to accept that the symptoms of menopause, which can include debilitating hot flashes, night sweats, and disrupted sleep, are simply something women must endure without effective treatment. The FDA reversal, the shortage, and the wave of new providers entering the space all point in the same direction: the era of menopause care being treated as an afterthought may finally be ending.
