There’s no such thing as a textbook menopause – and taking HRT isn’t ‘cheating’ | Jenny Eclair

Too many people think they have the right to tell you how to do the menopause. If HRT works for me, I'll keep taking it - if I can find it

I'm not panicking about the HRT shortage yet: I've still got a couple of months' worth of Oestrogel stashed under my bed. Not that I'm particularly keen to have this information bandied about - let's face it, people have burgled houses for far less. That said, the over-50s female population isn't known for its burglary skills - few of us have either the figure or drainpipe skills to pull off such a heist in order to restock our HRT supplies - but you never know. Personally, I'll be checking the locks until the crisis is over.

And, yes, the HRT shortage is a crisis for many women, for whom going without a drug they depend on to function properly is a terrifying prospect. Not everyone is sympathetic to this plight: the HRT argument has been raging for years and is weirdly divisive even among the sisterhood. Those of us who take it tend to be evangelical about its magical powers; those who don't, either by choice or for medical reasons, tend to question its validity. These conflicting opinions can get quite heated.