In a move that will benefit tens of thousands of New Zealanders, Pharmac has recently confirmed it will remove funding restrictions from progesterone, allowing this hormone to be prescribed fully funded for anyone that needs it. Unrestricted funding will start from 1 December 2022. You may be hearing more and more about body-identical progesterone or ‘natural progesterone’, especially if you’re trying to relieve menopausal symptoms. If you are, here’s what you need to know.

The change comes after Pharmac recently announced a budget increase, allowing them to open up the drug's funding list. Until now, progesterone had only been funded for the prevention of pre-term labour in certain clinical circumstances. This change is a huge win for a significant number of people who will be able to access funded progesterone for a range of clinical uses, including for menopause hormone therapy. You read that right – progesterone wasn’t previously funded for menopause.

The funded brand of progesterone will continue to be Utrogestan 100mg, supplied by Pharmaco. The widening of access to progesterone was also reviewed and supported by the Endocrinology Advisory Committee, the Reproductive and Sexual Health Advisory Committee and the Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee.

Oral ‘micronized progesterone’, such as Utrogestan is a naturally occurring progestogen with all the same properties as progesterone made in the body. Progesterone is a sex hormone produced in the corpus luteum of the ovaries. It can also be produced in the adrenal glands as well as the placenta during pregnancy. Synthetic hormones that have a similar action to progesterone are called ‘progestins’ and are not the same thing.

Phramac’s media release states there have been overwhelming support to open list progesterone from those in the healthcare sector and health consumers. This is a huge win for women’s health and reproductive health as progesterone can be used for a range of uses including menopause hormone therapy (also known as ‘hormone replacement therapy’), prevention of early pregnancy loss or pre-term labour, gender reaffirming hormone therapy, and conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Removing restrictions will have a positive impact on equity in women’s health and reproductive health and signal New Zealand health services are in fact listening to consultation. This is also in alignment with Pharmac’s Māori Responsiveness Strategy and Strategic Direction. The move will also improve access to treatment, safer treatment options, and reduce barriers to the high unmet health need in Aotearoa to improve quality of life and long-term outcomes for people experiencing menopause.

To improve on the equitable access to progesterone, Pharmac will be developing a programme to help support the clinical use of progesterone once it is fully funded. Community feedback has advocated for measures such as directly communicating to the primary healthcare sector about the full funding of progesterone; free funding for menopause and contraception consultations for Māori, Pacific people and other communities with high unmet need; increasing public education about menopause; as well as public messaging in te reo Māori and other languages to reach groups with larger unmet needs.

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