Oestrogel (oestradiol 0.06%) is an oestrogen gel used in hormone replacement therapy.
It is supported by randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses (3 high quality study types) as an effective, safe treatment for hot flushes, night sweats, sleep, mood, and vaginal symptoms in perimenopausal and menopausal women:
Vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats): Transdermal estradiol gel significantly reduced hot flush frequency and severity compared to placebo and oral estrogens¹²Sleep disturbance: Improved sleep quality, especially for women experiencing nighttime hot flashes³Mood and irritability: Improved emotional well-being and mood scores versus oral estradiol in RCTs⁴Vaginal dryness and atrophy: Effective for urogenital atrophy, comparable in efficacy to local vaginal estrogens⁵Global menopausal symptoms: Systematic review confirms transdermal estradiol provides broad symptom relief and is well tolerated⁶- Osteoporosis prevention: A meta-analysis found transdermal estradiol gel significantly increased lumbar spine and femoral neck bone mineral density in postmenopausal women⁷
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses confirmed hormone therapy—including transdermal estradiol gel—reduces fracture risk and bone loss⁸,⁹
Both NICE and the BMS recognise transdermal estradiol as a valid route of hormone therapy for menopause and imply its role in symptom control and bone health.10,11
- Derzko C, Sergerie M, Siliman G, Alberton M. Comparative efficacy and safety of estradiol transdermal preparations for the treatment of vasomotor symptoms in postmenopausal women: an indirect comparison meta-analysis. Menopause. 2016. Link
- Corbelli J, Shaikh N, Wessel C, Hess R. Low-dose transdermal estradiol for vasomotor symptoms: a systematic review. Menopause. 2015. Link
- Crandall CJ, Mehta JM, Manson JAE. Management of menopausal symptoms: a review. JAMA. 2023. Link
- Tang R, Fan Y, Ruan X, Zhang Z, Ren M. Changes in menopause-specific quality of life between women with transdermal estradiol versus oral estrogens: results of a randomized controlled trial. Climacteric. 2025. Link
- Laing A, Hillard T. Oestrogen-based therapies for menopausal symptoms. Maturitas. 2024. Link
- Duralde ER, Sobel TH, Manson JAE. Management of perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms. BMJ. 2023. Link
- Abdi F, Mobedi H, Bayat F, Mosaffa N. The effects of transdermal estrogen delivery on bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a meta-analysis. Iran J Pharm Res. 2017. Link
- Lin SY, Hung MC, Chang SF, Tsuang FY. Efficacy and safety of postmenopausal osteoporosis treatments: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Clin Med. 2021. Link
- Naunton M, Al Hadithy AFY, Brouwers JRBJ. Estradiol gel: review of the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety in menopausal women. Menopause. 2006. Link
- Available from https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23
- Available from https://thebms.org.uk/publications/consensus-statements/bms-whcs-2020-recommendations-on-hormone-replacement-therapy-in-menopausal-women/
