Canadian medication utility
Can’t Find Your HRT? Check Menopause Drug Shortages in Canada
If your estrogen, progesterone or other menopause prescription is suddenly hard to fill, Canada’s official shortage database can tell you whether a manufacturer has reported a national supply problem. It cannot tell you what is on the shelf at your pharmacy.
Check the official Canadian database
Search the brand name first. If that does not find the right product, search the medicinal ingredient. Match the strength, dosage form and route on your prescription—similar names do not make products interchangeable.
Source: Health Product Shortages Canada, the national reporting system overseen by Health Canada. Maple Menopause is not affiliated with or endorsed by Health Canada or the Government of Canada.
What the statuses mean
- Actual shortage: the company’s current supply cannot meet Canadian demand.
- Anticipated shortage: the company expects future supply may not meet projected demand.
- Resolved: the company reports it can again fill all Canadian client orders completely and on time.
- Discontinued / to be discontinued: sale of that specific drug product has stopped or is planned to stop. This is different from a temporary shortage.
Companies must report applicable shortages and discontinuations, including shortages that may be brief or manageable. The database also identifies avoided shortages and higher-impact Tier 3 shortages. Reports can change as companies update them, so check the report’s status and “date updated.”
How to search a menopause prescription
Use the exact label on the box, pharmacy receipt or prescription. Canadian searches that may be useful include:
| Medication type | Examples to search |
|---|---|
| Estradiol patches | Brand name (such as Estradot, Climara or Sandoz Estradiol Derm) and estradiol |
| Estradiol gel | Brand name (such as EstroGel or Divigel) and estradiol |
| Oral estrogen | Brand name (such as Estrace) and estradiol; for Premarin, search conjugated estrogens |
| Vaginal/local estrogen | Brand name (such as Vagifem, Imvexxy, Estring, Premarin Vaginal Cream or Estragyn) and the ingredient—estradiol, conjugated estrogens or estrone |
| Micronized progesterone | Brand name (such as Prometrium or the dispensed generic) and progesterone |
| Other prescription progestogens | Brand name and ingredient, such as Provera / medroxyprogesterone or Norlutate / norethindrone |
| Combination menopause therapy | The exact brand—such as Bijuva, Activelle, Angeliq, Estalis or Duavive—and each listed medicinal ingredient |
Product availability and marketing can change. Use the name from your prescription rather than treating this list as a catalogue or a recommendation.
Why the database and your pharmacy may tell different stories
A pharmacy can be out of stock because of local ordering, wholesaler supply or regional distribution even when no national shortage is reported. A national report also does not mean every pharmacy has zero stock. Supply can differ by manufacturer, brand, strength, formulation, route, package size, wholesaler and region. “Not reported” does not mean “available everywhere.”
What to do next
- Ask your pharmacist what is actually available locally. They may be able to check wholesalers or nearby locations and explain whether the issue appears local or broader.
- Bring the official report to your pharmacist or prescriber. Ask whether another manufacturer, strength, formulation, route or medication is clinically appropriate for you.
- Plan before your supply runs out. Prescriber involvement may be required, and different estrogen or progestogen products are not automatically dose-equivalent.
Medication safety: A shortage listing is supply information, not medical advice. Do not stop, ration, split, stretch, substitute or change prescription therapy solely because of a report. For alternatives, dosing or switching, speak with your pharmacist and prescriber.
Related Maple Menopause guides
Official information checked September 1, 2026. For how Canada manages drug shortages and why they happen, see Health Canada’s drug-shortage information.