From today, thousands of menopausal women will be able to access a hormone drug, free of charge.
Pharmac has decided to fund Utrogestan - a hormone therapy that helps with the symptoms of menopause - and it's been a long time coming.
Author Niki Bezzant started the rollercoaster ride of perimenopause at age 49.
"There have been some hot flushes, and the night sweats, certainly brain fog is a big thing so things around forgetting, memory issues," Bezzant said.
Perimenopause is the transition to full menopause, marking the end of a woman's menstrual cycle.
There are more than 40 different symptoms that can be alleviated by menopausal hormone therapy. The treatment is a combination of oestrogen and progesterone.
"The symptoms are largely treated and will disappear while women are on that treatment," endocrinologist Dr Anna Fenton said.
"The treatment can be incredibly effective and life-changing."
But it isn't cheap. While the oestrogen is free, progesterone costs about $500 a year.
"That's a price that women should not be having to pay," Bezzant said.
And from Thursday they won't have to. Pharmac is finally funding it thanks partly to a budget increase, but also because earlier evidence, showing the risks of taking the drug, has been revised.
"We would have loved this a long time ago. It's been available for women to purchase but that creates cost, that then creates inequity," Dr Fenton said.
"It's been on our options for investment list for about 12 months now so we think we've moved pretty quick once it's got on that list."
It's a move that's expected to benefit 28,000 people a year.
"This has been a huge leap forward. We've been working pretty hard on this for the past decade," Dr Fenton said.
"Not all women have a bad time with menopause, and perimenopause, but some women really do struggle and this is going to make a huge difference for them," Bezzant said.
A small pill, having a big impact.
