Hormone Therapy Shortage in Spain

If you've gone to the pharmacy and your hormone treatment isn't available, you're not the only one. In 2026, supply problems have been reported for some presentations used in menopause hormone therapy in Spain. The situation can change from one day to the next, and it doesn't affect all medicines, doses or delivery routes equally. That's why the most reliable reference is the updated listing from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS).

What we know for certain

AEMPS defines a supply problem as a situation in which the available units of a presentation fall below national consumption needs. The record is kept per specific presentation, not per "hormone therapy" in general: the same active ingredient can come in different doses, pharmaceutical forms and pack sizes, and not all of them are necessarily affected at the same time.

CIMA, AEMPS's medicine information centre, publishes the name, the national code and, when known, the estimated start and end dates of the problem. It also indicates whether measures exist to reduce the impact. These dates are estimates and can change.

Lenzetto contains estradiol and is delivered as a transdermal spray. Bijuva contains estradiol and progesterone, and is a combined continuous hormone therapy for postmenopausal women with an intact uterus. They are not automatically interchangeable: they have different compositions, doses and delivery routes.

There is no official published figure that allows us to state how many women are directly affected by these shortages. For that reason, we have removed from this article any estimate of affected patients circulated in some media outlets that isn't backed by an official source.

Why it can happen

Supply problems can be due to manufacturing or distribution difficulties, increased demand, or a combination of factors. Marketing authorisation holders are required to notify AEMPS of any anticipated abnormal restriction. The Agency can request information on stock and forecasts, contact manufacturers of alternatives, authorise exceptional measures, or publish specific recommendations.

In this particular case, some media outlets have reported manufacturer explanations related to increased demand and production limitations. Since those statements don't replace regulatory information and can change, they shouldn't be presented as a single or definitive explanation.

What you can do if you're a patient

These are general pointers and don't replace an individual medical assessment.

1. Check the status of your presentation. Look up the CIMA listing using the exact medicine name or its national code. The availability of another dose or format doesn't mean you can switch on your own.
2. Contact your healthcare provider before you run out of medication. Switching products may require adjusting the dose, the delivery route or the progestogen component. AEMPS considers there to be clinical impact when an alternative exists, but the switch requires medical intervention.
3. Ask at your pharmacy. Pharmacy staff can check availability and apply Spain's dispensing and substitution rules. Substitution doesn't mean freely switching between spray, gel, patch or tablets; if the alternative requires a new regimen or prescription, the prescribing professional must be involved.
4. Don't reduce, space out or double your doses on your own. Don't use someone else's medication either, or buy from unauthorised websites. Lenzetto's leaflet, for example, notes that the medicine is prescribed individually and should not be shared.
5. If your treatment is interrupted, keep a symptom log. Note hot flashes, night sweats, sleep changes, bleeding or other changes, with dates. Available studies show that vasomotor symptoms can return after stopping hormone therapy, and that tapering it down gradually doesn't guarantee this won't happen. In some cases, hormone therapy was prescribed for premature or early menopause, and its role goes well beyond symptom relief.
6. Ask whether a non-hormonal option is right for you. There are non-hormonal treatments with evidence for vasomotor symptoms, including certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, gabapentin and other drugs. Not all are appropriate for every patient, and they require professional assessment.

What can't be claimed with the available data

It can't be confirmed with an official source how many women are affected in Spain, nor that all usual formulations are simultaneously out of stock across the whole country. Nor is there a solid enough basis to state how much alternatives cost: availability, funding and cost depend on the specific product and each patient's situation.

What's being done

AEMPS keeps its supply-problem registry up to date and has measures in place to mitigate them. These include monitoring stock and demand, coordinating with other authorisation holders, speeding up certain procedures, importing foreign medicines when appropriate, and publishing information notes together with scientific societies.

The existence of a supply problem doesn't, by itself, mean the medicine has a quality or safety problem. It means the available quantity doesn't cover national demand.

October 18: World Menopause Day

World Menopause Day is held every October 18. The International Menopause Society (IMS) states that it created this day in 2009 to raise awareness about menopause and improve women's experience worldwide. The 2026 theme is chronic pain in midlife.

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