Epic Research: Hormone Therapy Use Nearly Doubled Since 2017 (Jul 30 2026)

Tier 1: Established: peer-reviewed research or government health authority
Publisher: Epic Research (Cosmos dataset) · Published: July 30, 2026 · Accessed: August 14, 2026

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• Among 163,348,471 adult women seen in U.S. outpatient care between Jan 2017 and Apr 2026, hormone therapy (HT) use nearly doubled: from about 1.7% in Jan 2017 to about 3.6% by Apr 2026. The trend was flat (~1.8–1.9%) through 2022, then climbed steeply from 2023 onward.
• Growth was concentrated in the menopausal-transition years: women aged 45–54 saw the largest relative rise (nearly tripling, from 24 to 68 per 1,000), and by end of study had the highest use rate of any age group. Women 35–44 and 55–64 roughly doubled.
• Growth was driven mainly by single-hormone products and non-oral routes: progestin-only use grew ~3.3-fold, estrogen-only ~2.3-fold; transdermal (patch/gel) use grew ~3.5-fold and vaginal products nearly tripled, while oral and injectable therapy stayed flat.
• Context from the article: use fell dramatically after the 2002 Women's Health Initiative report; national survey data show use among postmenopausal women declined from roughly 27% in 1999 to under 5% by 2020; in Nov 2025 the FDA removed black-box warnings related to cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and dementia from estrogen-containing products, citing evidence that benefits may outweigh risks when therapy begins within 10 years of menopause onset.
• The analysis is descriptive (rates over time), not a randomized trial; the denominator reflects women with an outpatient encounter, age bands are a proxy for menopausal status, and apparent trends may partly reflect changes in who presents for care (listed as study limitations).