WOMEN worried about the shortage of drugs for hormone replacement therapy (HRT) feel they are not being taken seriously, a doctor has said.

Dr Sara Kayat also said there is a widely-held misunderstanding that HRT is a lifestyle choice.

She told GB News: “The problem is that people don’t necessarily take menopausal HRT seriously. They think it’s a lifestyle choice, or that it’s a luxury but patients can really be struggling, it affects quality of life, work, social situations.

“What needs to happen is we need to actually take it a lot more seriously.

“I do get a lot of patients coming in feeling as though they’re being dismissed.”

Booming demand for HRT has resulted in a shortage of drugs for treatment, with some reports claiming that women have been forced to trade drugs in car parks.

Dr Kayat said: “We’ve actually been struggling with HRT shortages for a long time. We had a shortage in 2019, 2020, and again now.

“This is something that’s been going on for some time and that it’s not been rectified.

She was speaking during a discussion on Breakfast with Eamonn and Isabel on GB News.

Dr Kayat said that GPs are rationing HRT drugs and only prescribing for three months, but there are signs the situation is easing.

“The government is starting to take it more seriously…. I feel like you know, action is happening,” she said.

“Hopefully, that means this time around, we are going to be able to do something about it and do it more quickly but we don’t have dates yet.”

Asked about alternatives to visiting a GP, she added: “You can look at alternatives or your GP can supply you with those alternatives.

“I think going from pharmacy to pharmacy pharmacy is exhausting and not appropriate for a patient to have to do, so please speak to your doctor about alternatives.”