U.S. progesterone supplies tighten amid rising HRT use

June 17, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Reports of intermittent oral progesterone shortages have emerged as U.S. demand for hormone replacement therapy has increased.

Why this matters

Patients using menopause or fertility treatments may face delays filling progesterone prescriptions as demand rises. The story also highlights limits of compounded alternatives and the difference between reported supply strain and an FDA-declared shortage.

U.S. supplies of oral progesterone have come under strain, with patients, clinicians, and pharmacists reporting intermittent shortages of a hormone used in fertility and menopause care.

The concerns follow ongoing difficulty filling prescriptions for estrogen patches, another common hormone therapy used in menopause treatment.

Demand for hormone replacement therapy has risen sharply since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed a longstanding safety warning from many such therapies in late 2025. Doctors have also become more comfortable prescribing hormone replacement therapy, while women’s health and menopause experts on social media have encouraged its use.

Progesterone is often prescribed with estrogen to reduce the risk of uterine cancer and to help treat menopause symptoms including hot flashes, mood changes, and osteoporosis.

Progesterone-containing hormone replacement therapy prescriptions for women 45 and older more than tripled from January 2021 to about 12 women per 1,000 in May 2026, according to health analytics company Truveta, whose records cover more than 130 million patients in all 50 states. Prescribing rates rose more than 19% after the FDA label change, the data showed.

Clinicians said progesterone shortages were less severe than those affecting estrogen patches, partly because some patients do not need progesterone and alternatives are available.

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