TV 2 reports that women in Denmark still struggle to get menopause treatment, nine months after new hormone therapy guidelines took effect, with private gynaecologists averaging 15.8 weeks’ waiting time.
New guidelines on menopausal hormone therapy were published in February 2026, breaking with two decades of caution about prescribing hormones. But TV 2 reports that women still find it difficult to get help, and that waits at private gynaecologists reach up to a year in some places.
The station reviewed the public listing of gynaecologists on the state website sundhed.dk in October 2026. Of the 86 private gynaecologists listed, 85 stated a waiting time. The average was 15.8 weeks, just under 16 weeks.
Waits from three weeks to a full year
According to TV 2’s review, the median wait among the 85 clinics was 14 weeks. The shortest wait was three weeks and the longest was 52 weeks. Seven clinics had waits of four weeks or less, while 64 of 85 clinics, or 75 percent, had more than eight weeks.
Geography matters as well. TV 2 notes that in Herning, a city with a new superhospital, sundhed.dk lists no private gynaecologist at all. Anette Tønnes Pedersen, consultant at Rigshospitalet and a researcher in female sex hormones, told TV 2 that differences depending on where a woman lives should not exist.
She added that many women are turned away or not given relevant assessment, possibly because of a lack of time or specialist knowledge. She also said strategies are under way, but that the problem will not be solved from one day to the next, and that something as ordinary as menopause should not require referral to a gynaecology specialist.
Guidelines, a national effort and employer health insurance
The revised guideline on menopausal hormone therapy was published by Dansk Selskab for Gynækologi (DSOG) on 2 February 2026. In a debate piece cited by TV 2, Dansk Selskab for Almen Medicin (DSAM) stated that general practitioners cannot follow it point by point, since it was written for gynaecological specialist practice. DSOG told TV 2 the guidelines may lead GPs to treat more women and refer fewer onward.
Sundhedsstyrelsen has announced that it, Medicinrådet and DSAM are jointly working to improve information and treatment for menopause, with Medicinrådet setting out recommendations for daily use in general practice. Health Minister Ida Auken described the joint initiative in a Facebook post on 9 October 2026, after asking the public for personal accounts.
Some women use employer health insurance instead. Danica launched a menopause health offer in May 2026, and told TV 2 that 810 customers have used it so far, 60 percent of them women. Of those users, 47 percent said they would not have sought help without it, per Danica’s figures.
What the waiting times mean for internationals using Danish healthcare
Anyone with a CPR number is assigned a general practitioner, and the GP is the gateway to specialist care under the public system. A referral is normally needed before a private gynaecologist is covered by the public health insurance. The waiting times TV 2 reviewed are published on sundhed.dk, which lists treatment providers and can be filtered by region and municipality.
For residents without Danish language skills, the practical point from TV 2’s review is that waits differ sharply by clinic and by region, and that a GP may be able to handle menopause symptoms directly. Pedersen told TV 2 that many GPs are taking further training and can handle the demand. Some employers also offer private health insurance, as in the Danica case TV 2 describes, and healthcare coverage terms vary by policy.
