The manufacturer of one of the most popular Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) products has said that it is continually monitoring the situation to ensure an adequate supply.
In a statement to RTÉ's This Week, Novartis, which makes Estradot, said, "supply is intermittent at present, but we hope this situation will be resolved in July".
The company said it very much acknowledged the current unprecedented demand for menopause treatment in Ireland.
"We have significantly increased supplies of our HRT medication into Ireland, on a number of occasions since 2021, to reflect the increased demand."
The shortage of supply in HRT medication has hit a number of countries in recent months. It has raised questions about the support and expertise available to women requiring treatment for the symptoms of menopause. Common symptoms include, hot flashes, night sweats and brain fog.
A number of specialised clinics run by the Health Service Executive are opening across Ireland to deal with more complex cases.
HRT products are available to those on medical cards, but the Irish College of General Practitioners says women who do not qualify for a card can find the treatments very expensive.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority said it was aware of the current challenges regarding the intermittent supply of some HRT, notably transdermal patches.
The HPRA said the shortage is not linked to regulatory matters but that it is "open to providing accelerated regulatory approval to supply a product originally intended for other markets, if available."
The statement said that in the case of the Evorel range, the company, Theramex, confirmed that the supply of Evorel Conti resumed at the end of January and the supply of Evorel 50mcg/24 hours resumed on 23 February.
The HPRA says the supply of Orion's HRT gel, Divigel, resumed at the end of March.
Oestrogel from Laboratoires Besins International is expected to be available this week.
Co-chair of Irish Pharmacy Union Kathy Maher said they are at "crisis point" in terms of availability of products for women who are suffering symptoms of menopause.
Speaking on This Week she said it has been an ongoing issue for several years.
She said the demand for Estradot has risen dramatically since 2020 and it is now at a point where demand is exceeding supply.
Ms Maher said when a product goes into short supply pharmacists switch a woman to another product but this has been having a domino-effect.
"When one particular patch went into short supply, another went into short supply." Women have also been advised to cut patches into two or switch to a gel as a result of lack of supply.
She said the gel has now gone into short supply too and she said people are concerned about a potential return to menopause symptoms if a product was not available.
Speaking on the same programme, Dr Nóirín O'Herlihy, a GP and Director of Women's Health at the Irish College of General Practitioners, said the increased demand for these HRT treatments should be welcomed as there has been an increased awareness of symptoms of menopause with more women presenting to GPs seeking advice.
"They are more aware that HRT is a safe and effective option for the symptoms they have."
She said education around menopause has improved over the last few years and GPs are working with pharmacists to ensure women have the safest and most effective treatment.
