A nationwide shortage has made estrogen therapy medications harder to find around Denver.
Capitol Heights Pharmacy in Congress Park has struggled to keep the medication in stock.
Front Range Pharmacy in Englewood waited over a month for an estrogen shipment from a distributor in Commerce City.
The Colorado Pharmacists Society pointed to the recent removal of the “black box” warning for most menopausal hormone treatments. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services previously warned of breast cancer, dementia and cardiovascular disease risks from hormonal estrogen treatments.
The warning was removed in 2025, and according to the FDA website, estrogen is now approved to provide relief from common menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the warnings had been based on “bad science and bureaucratic inertia.”
Now, patients appear to be more comfortable using estrogen to treat menopause.
“The shortage is at least partially attributed to greatly increased demand. It is also formulation specific, with the patches being most in shortage, given that they are more complex to manufacture,” wrote Emily Zadvorny, the CEO of the state pharmacists society, in an email. “Other formulations of FDA approved products are still available, and some patients also choose to use compounded (formulations), especially during shortages, but that can be more expensive as they are not largely covered by insurance.”
The shortage has frustrated patients. “Menopausal women are an active part of the workforce, and without these supplements, quality of sleep is impacted which has far-reaching implications. As of this weekend, pharmacies are unable to confirm when they will be able to refill prescriptions,” one reader wrote to us.
In a written statement, a spokesperson from CVS said over the last several weeks there hasn’t been a "sufficient supply” of hormone replacement therapies.
“(Manufacturers) would be better equipped to explain challenges within their own ingredient supply chain that may have contributed to this problem,” wrote Amy Thibault, executive director of corporate communications for CVS.
Meanwhile, some larger institutions are having more luck.
“Based on feedback from our OB-GYN and pharmacy teams, Denver Health is not being affected by the estrogen shortage,” Denver Health spokesperson Deydra Bringas wrote in an email. “Our physicians confirm that patients have been able to fill prescriptions for vaginal estrogen and estrogen patches without issues.”
Spokespersons for Walgreens and Kroger did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Have you been affected by the shortage? Drop us a line.
