Oestrogel Pump-Pack (empty), 750 micrograms/actuation gel Estradiol, 80 gram, with packing carton, used as topical oestrogen hormone replacement therapy to manage symptoms associated with menopause and to prevent osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, Besins Healthcare, 2022

Oestrogel is a gel Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) used by around 30,000 women in the UK (as of 2022). It contains the female hormone oestrogen. During the menopause, the amount of oestrogen produced by a woman’s body drops. Oestrogel works by replacing oestrogen, restoring levels of the hormone to that before menopause. It is prescribed to help manage symptoms associated with menopause and to prevent osteoporosis after menopause.

This gel was made in around 2022 by Besins Healthcare, a pharmaceutical company that started in 1885, that specialises in the production of hormonal therapies. A typical daily dose would be two pumps of the gel, spread over a large area of skin such as the shoulder, outer arm or mid-inner thigh. The pump pack would typically last four weeks.

In 2022, the UK experienced supplier shortages of HRT, including supplies of Oestrogel, apparently caused by increased demand. Prescriptions for HRT had more than doubled since 2018.