Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to encourage research on the wider benefits of using hormone replacement therapy for (a) osteoporosis and (b) cardiovascular disease; and what assessment he has made of the impact of prescribing that therapy earlier in the menopause cycle on those conditions.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The NIHR is commissioning a menopause research prioritisation exercise, considering recommendations from a range of experts. Following completion of this exercise, we expect that research will be commissioned in summer 2023.

The NIHR also expects to commission a new policy research unit dedicated to reproductive health, subject to receiving high quality applications. The new unit will undertake research to inform policy in areas such as menstruation, gynaecological conditions and menopause. Applications are currently being reviewed, with the unit expected to operate from January 2024. No specific assessment of the impact of prescribing HRT earlier in the menopause cycle on osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease has been made.