Cardiff University is launching a new research project on 1 April 2026, funded by Health and Care Research Wales, aimed at improving how women and healthcare professionals communicate and make decisions about the duration of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The CANDOUR Study — Communication ANd Decisionmaking arOund DURation of Hormone Replacement Therapy — will address significant gaps in evidence, practice and resources relating to when and how women continue or discontinue HRT.
National guidelines say that decisions about how long to continue HRT should be tailored to each woman and made together with her clinician. But listening to the experiences that women describe, particularly when they have been on HRT for several years or are entering their 60s suggests that many women are not receiving personalised discussions, and clinicians often feel unsure about how best to guide these conversations. The CANDOUR Study will develop clear, evidence‑based ways to improve communication and support better decision‑making in this important area of women’s health.
Study Leadership and Partner Organisations
The study is co-led by:
- Dr Kathryn Hughes, Senior Clinical Lecturer, Division of Population Medicine, Cardiff University
- Dr Susan Channon, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Trials Research, Cardiff University
The project brings together expertise from several research centres with funding from Health and Care Research Wales in Cardiff University, including Wales Centre for Primary and Emergency Care Research (PRIME) , Women’s Health Research Wales (WHRW) and Centre for Trials Research (CTR), alongside colleagues from the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and in collaboration with the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre.
Strong public involvement will be central to CANDOUR. The study partners with Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales (FTWW), a national advocacy organisation that brings crucial lived experience and policy expertise and two public research partners. The public involvement partners will coproduce study materials, support recruitment, and help shape the decision support tools developed.
What the Study Will Do
Over the next 17 months, the CANDOUR team will bring together existing evidence, Welsh prescribing data, and the real world experiences of women and clinicians to understand what better HRT conversations should look like. Using these insights, they will codesign a prototype decision support tool for primary care and set out a plan to share and implement the findings across Wales, with potential benefits for the wider UK.
Why It Matters
Many women in Wales will consider or use HRT. Decisions about continuing or stopping HRT can be complicated by symptoms, health risks, anxiety about stopping treatment, and wide variation in clinical practice. This study aims to ensure consultations reflect women’s priorities, reduce inequities, and give healthcare professionals the evidence and tools they need to confidently support shared decision making.
Outputs from the project will inform education, policy and service development across Wales, with the potential to shape future NHS resources including Women’s Health Hubs and national clinical pathways.
English (UK) 
Cymraeg