Black and Chinese women '80% less likely to be given HRT'

Menopausal women of Chinese and black African backgrounds are about 80% less likely to receive hormone replacement therapy than white women, according to a study.

- Anna Bawden

HRT is one of the most common treatments for menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes, mood swings, poor sleep and vaginal dryness. It can also help maintain muscle strength and prevent osteoporosis.

But a 10-year study of 2 million women in England has found worrying inequalities in access to HRT. University of Oxford academics examined HRT prescriptions issued in England to 1,978,348 women aged 40 to 60 over a 10-year period.

Findings presented at the World Congress on Menopause in Melbourne today revealed that between 2013 and 2023, almost six times as many white women were prescribed HRT than black women, and more than twice as many women in affluent areas were offered HRT than those living in socially deprived areas.