Functional & Aesthetic Medicine
Specializing in Bioidentical Hormone Replacement
The Patch problem
This isn't just a pharmacy inconvenience.
Across the country, women prescribed estradiol patches are hearing the same thing:
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Out of stock.
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Backordered.
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We don't know when we'll have it.
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Try another pharmacy.
So they do. They call another pharmacy. And another. And sometimes another. Some drive miles to find their prescribed dose. Others have to change manufacturers, change doses, ask their healthcare provider for a new prescription, switch to a different form of estrogen or go without treatment altogether.
Women shouldn't have to hunt for their hormones.
Your story will help us!
The Patch Shortage Is Real
Estradiol transdermal systems have experienced ongoing supply disruptions affecting multiple manufacturers and strengths.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) currently lists Estradiol Transdermal System as an active drug shortage, with products affected by backorders, intermittent availability and allocation.
Yet the full impact on women remains largely invisible.
We know which products manufacturers report as unavailable.
What we don't know is what women are going through trying to get them.
How many pharmacies did you call?
How long did you go without your patch?
Did your symptoms return?
Did your healthcare provider have to rewrite your prescription?
Were you forced to change doses, brands—or switch away from a patch completely?
That's what The Patch Problem is working to document.
Tell Us What Happened
Your experience matters.
The Patch Problem National Access Survey is collecting voluntary reports from people experiencing difficulty obtaining prescribed estradiol patches across the United States.
It takes about 2 minutes.
We're documenting:
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Where access problems are occurring
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Which patch strengths are hardest to find
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How many pharmacies women are contacting
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How long treatment is being interrupted
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How frequently prescriptions have to be changed
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How much time women spend searching for medication
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How often healthcare providers must intervene
One story is an experience.
Thousands of stories become data.
[TAKE THE 2-MINUTE SURVEY]
Responses will be evaluated in aggregate. Please do not provide names, pharmacy names, medical record information or other personally identifying health information.