A free online tool lets women check their GP surgery’s record on hormone treatment (HRT) prescribing and see how it compares to other surgeries nearby.

HRT Lottery analyses NHS prescribing data covering more than 7,000 GP surgeries and over 900,000 hormone treatment prescriptions every month across England, Scotland and Wales.

Each surgery is given a ‘hormone management score’ out of 100. The score counts the total amount of HRT as well as the number of prescriptions. In England, the score also includes patient survey results.

Wide variation in HRT and testosterone prescribing

The latest figures compiled by the website show wide variation in hormone treatment prescribing. In England, the highest-prescribing local authority issues more than five times as much hormone treatment as the lowest. In Scotland and Wales, the gap is around two times.

Deprivation matters too. In England’s wealthiest areas, about one woman in four aged 45 to 74 is on hormone treatment. In the most deprived areas, this falls to one in ten.

The data also suggests that busier surgeries prescribe less. Where a GP looks after around 1,000 patients, about 18% of women are on HRT. Where a GP looks after nearly 4,000, it falls to 13%.

Testosterone has its own postcode lottery.  In June 2026, the average English surgery issued 4.22 testosterone gel or cream prescriptions per 1,000 women aged 45–74. At a typical surgery, that works out at no more than a handful of prescriptions in any given month.

Across 65 NHS areas in the UK, only 22% allow a GP to start a woman on testosterone, 52% say a specialist must start it, 6% do not approve it, and in 20% there is no clear rule.

Short appointments, lack of training

‘This is not a judgement on your GP,’ says Menopause Data Ltd, the independent data and research company behind HRT Lottery.

‘The system is letting everyone down, GPs included. The data just shows where.’

The company points to short appointments, limited menopause training for healthcare professionals and rising patient numbers as all impacting hormone treatment prescribing rates.

A global survey of more than 3,500 women and analysed by Newson Research found that more than 60% of respondents saw multiple healthcare professionals before receiving hormone treatment. One in ten reported attending more than ten GP appointments before being prescribed hormone treatments.

HRT Lottery stresses that a low prescribing rate does not automatically mean poor care, nor does a high rate automatically mean good care.

It says making the data available gives women more information, and context to ask questions, speak to their GP, seek a second opinion or explore other surgeries nearby.

Directory

The site also has a free directory of more than 250 private clinics across the UK, showing each clinic’s appointment prices, typical wait times and Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating.

To find out more, click here.