For many menopausal women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is key to being able to function day-to-day. Around eight in ten women experience symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep difficulty, fatigue, bone pain and heightened anxiety or depression, with around a third living with severe symptoms that last for months or longer. HRT helps address those symptoms, and around 15 per cent of women aged 45 to 64 in England are currently prescribed it.