Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) Shortage in Canada: Estrogen Patches, Pills & Creams

1Which HRT products are affected

Menopausal hormone therapy in Canada comes in several forms — oral tablets, skin patches, gels, and vaginal creams — and shortage reports have hit different forms at different times. Products that have appeared on Health Canada's shortage reporting system in 2026 include:

• Estradiol tablets — Estrace (0.5mg, 1mg, 2mg) and Lupin-Estradiol. See every estradiol product's status.
• Estradiol patches — some strengths of Estradot and Climara, while other strengths of the same brand stayed available.
• Combination patches — Estalis 140/50 (estradiol + norethindrone acetate), DIN 02241835.
• Conjugated estrogens — Premarin Vaginal Cream and Duavive (conjugated estrogens + bazedoxifene), DIN 02432854.

The live status cards at the top of this page show which of these are in shortage right now — this list is a history of what has been affected, not a statement that all of them are short today.

2Why HRT shortages keep coming back

Many HRT products in Canada are made by only one or two companies, so a single manufacturing or shipping delay can leave a specific brand or strength with no direct generic to fill the gap. The reasons companies have reported for recent HRT shortages are the ordinary ones — disruption of manufacturing and shipping delays — rather than a single nationwide cause. That's why reports tend to resolve and then reappear for a different product a few weeks later.

3Check your exact strength, not just the brand

A shortage report is filed per product and strength. Estradot 100 can be in shortage while Estradot 75 is available, and the same goes for Estrace tablet strengths. When you check, look up the DIN printed on your box or pharmacy label, or search MedShort by brand name and pick your strength.

4Don't stop on your own

Stopping HRT abruptly can bring back hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep problems within days to weeks. If your pharmacy is low, tell them before you run out — they can often source stock from another location or suggest an alternative your prescriber can approve quickly.

5Switching products: what to ask

Moving between a different strength or brand of the same form (for example, one estradiol patch to another) is often straightforward. Switching forms — patch to gel or tablet — or switching away from a combination product is a bigger change that usually needs your prescriber, because the dose isn't always one-to-one between forms.

One point to raise specifically: if you still have a uterus, estrogen therapy is normally paired with something that protects the uterine lining — a progestogen (as in Estalis) or bazedoxifene (as in Duavive). If a combination product is unavailable, make sure any replacement plan still includes that protection rather than switching to estrogen alone. See when a pharmacist can substitute during a shortage and when it needs your prescriber.

6Get notified when your product changes

Open your product's page on MedShort and use “Notify me” to get an email when its shortage status changes — useful for HRT, where reports often clear and reappear.