Oestrogel Pump

Oestrogel is a transdermal HRT gel containing oestradiol, used to manage menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, night sweats, mood changes, sleep disturbance, and joint aches. It can also be used as part of a longer-term plan to support bone health in women at higher risk of osteoporosis.

Each metered pump delivers 0.75 mg of oestradiol in a small amount of clear gel. Once rubbed into the skin, the alcohol base evaporates and the hormone is absorbed gradually through the skin into the bloodstream over the next 24 hours.

The standard starting dose is two pumps once a day, spread thinly over a wide area of clean, dry skin — typically the arms (from shoulder to wrist), shoulders, or inner thighs. Avoid applying it to the breasts, the face, or the vulval area. Wash your hands afterwards and let the gel dry for around five minutes before dressing.

Application sites were chosen during clinical studies to give predictable absorption and to avoid concentrating oestrogen in tissues like the breast where local exposure isn't desirable. Sticking to the licensed sites helps make sure the dose you absorb matches what your prescriber expects.

Allow at least one hour, ideally longer, between applying the gel and bathing, swimming, or heavy sweating, so the hormone has time to absorb. If you exercise straight afterwards and sweat heavily, absorption can be reduced.

Wait until it's fully dry before any skin-to-skin contact, and avoid letting young children rub against the area for the first hour. Accidental brief contact is unlikely to cause problems, but repeated transfer — for example a child sleeping against an arm freshly treated — should be avoided. Wash the gel off if you need close contact sooner than expected.

Most women feel the first improvements in flushes and sweats within a couple of weeks. The full benefit on sleep, mood, and energy usually takes around three months. Vaginal symptoms may take longer and sometimes benefit from a separate local oestrogen.

Breast tenderness, headaches, nausea, mood changes, leg cramps, and mild skin reactions at the application site are most commonly reported. Breakthrough bleeding can happen in the first three to six months, particularly around dose changes. Severe one-sided leg swelling, chest pain, breathlessness, sudden severe headache, or visual changes need urgent assessment.

Gel is a popular choice for women who don't get on with patches (skin irritation, adhesion problems in summer, visible patch marks) and for those with risk factors that make oral HRT less suitable, such as a higher background risk of blood clots, migraine, or certain liver and gallbladder conditions. The dose is also easy to fine-tune — half a pump up or down can make a meaningful difference.

The gel is metered so each pump is a known dose, and clinicians do sometimes give a flexible range (for example, "one to four pumps daily, titrated to symptoms"). Within an agreed range you can adjust gradually, but any larger change should be reviewed with your prescriber, particularly because progestogen cover may also need adjusting.

Yes, if you still have a uterus. Oestrogel is oestrogen-only, so it's almost always paired with micronised progesterone (Utrogestan) or a Mirena coil to protect the womb lining. The exception is women who have had a hysterectomy, who can usually take oestrogen alone.

A single missed day is unlikely to cause much in the way of symptoms — apply the next dose at your usual time and carry on. Don't double up to "catch up". If you miss several days in a row, expect that flushes or other symptoms might creep back, and resume as normal.