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Effects of HRT: Alone, in Combination or Sequencing
Osteoporosis & Bone Health | Last Active: Feb 27 9:19am | Replies (86)Comment receiving replies
I can understand your concerns about your cardiologist prescribing hormones when he doesn't seem knowledgeable. HRT is tricky, particularly for older women. Wondering why your doctor put you on testosterone and not progesterone. Do you no longer have a uterus?
I think it's important to seek out a specialist in this area. If you are in the states, take a look at The Menopause Society list of practitioners in your area:
https://portal.menopause.org/NAMS/NAMS/Directory/Menopause-Practitioner.aspx
If you live in SoCal by chance, Dr Felice Gersh is located in Irvine and very knowledgeable about hormones. She's been doing it for decades and keeps up with the latest research. If you are not local, she will still see you but first visit has to be in person (by law) and subsequent visits can be telehealth. She is very expensive but I found it helpful to see her for 2 appts and then navigate on my own through my others docs.
A third and very basic option is to get a consult with Alloy Health, again if you are in the states. You fill out an intake form and a physician who specializes in HRT will review and make a recommendation. I did their intake to see how their prescription aligned with my other doctors and the advice was the same. At the time I did it, I think the cost was $25 for the review. You don't have to order anything from them (I did not as they are a bit more expensive than insurance), you can just pay for a consult and choose not to move forward. If I remember correctly, after the intake, there was a bit of a back and forth conversation by email to get my questions answered.
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Teb, thank you for taking the time to respond and include the helpful links. I’m familiar with NAMS and have used their directory in the past, but I was surprised to find there are no NAMS providers in my area.
I don’t live in California, though I am familiar with Dr. Felice Gersh. I’ve watched many of her videos and appreciate her work. Have you watched Dr. Louise Newson and Dr. Kelly Casperson's videos they seem to offer more material that’s specifically relevant to older women like myself, which is rare to come by.
I’m also familiar with Alloy Health and have used one of the prescription products they offer.
Regarding your comment "I can understand your concerns about your cardiologist prescribing hormones". I’m sorry if there was any misunderstanding. He is not prescribing my hormones. I’m currently using a 0.05 patch and a 4 mg testosterone/DHA cream for osteopenia, from a different provider.
To answer your question, I do not have a uterus.
After recently discovering that I have heart disease (I had a CAC scan as part of my HRT risk assessment), I consulted a cardiologist to ensure my late introduction to HRT would be safe, considering my heart condition.
I have a long convoluted history in my search for an HRT provider as I am sure others do. I have two health insurances, and my husband has one, which together costs us $8,500 per year. Out of options and desperation to find a doctor who would prescribe estrogen for osteopenia (incomprehensible why they wouldn't, even off-label. This was before I knew I had heart disease) I ended up spending more money on a very expensive telehealth consultation with Dr. Shawn Tassone. He was the one to prescribe my present hormones for my osteopenia. Unfortunately, due to his price increase, I cannot continue with him and am back to square one.
I’m aware of Midi, but they don’t accept either of my insurances. I’m hoping my primary care doctor will continue prescribing my hormone medications, especially since they’ve already been prescribed by another doctor.
While I might not be able to use the information and links you provided, I think it's important that others know this valuable information is available, and they might be able to benefit from it.