how do you know which is best for you HRT or Bio-identicals ?

The brand of Estradiol patch I use is Mylan; Kroger fills it. Both of my obgyns have been happy to prescribe it.

I prefer a compounded Estradiol vaginal cream over the commercial one. It's gentler on my skin. My first NP prescribed it. My second took over calling it in.

For vaginal Estradiol suppositories, I've used Vagifem 10mcg tablets and Imvexxy 10mcg pearls. I'm post-op total hysterectomy right now, so I'm not sure which I'll return to. If you have already ample moisture, Vagifem can be enough. If not, then Imvexxy might absorb better. My urologist is actually the one who started me on this as my first vaginal estrogen because I was getting UTIs.

For oral Progesterone/Prometrium, I like the micronized pearls that all the major pharmacies fill. Compounding pharmacies will make in-between/any dosages in capsules in extended release form.

I hope this helps.

@blueskies1530
Thank you for the informative information. I will do more research on the above.

@laura1970
My primary feels I may have familial hypercholesterolmia, after several rounds of blood work done, monitoring my food intake . I don't fit the "profile" or lifestyle of one who would have elevated cholesterol. So not a definite answer and my primary doesn't feel I need any medications since my eating habits/lifestyle can lower it.
So crazy something our body produce(s) naturally can stop making. Then our bodies start breaking down, due to lack of the hormones and when we try to find "things" to bring balance we end up with illnesses and possibly dying from stroke/heart attack.
My GYN years ago gave me estradiol cream but that was for dryness only, she never mentioned hormone balance. I never truly used the cream .

@laura1970
My primary feels I may have familial hypercholesterolmia, after several rounds of blood work done, monitoring my food intake . I don't fit the "profile" or lifestyle of one who would have elevated cholesterol. So not a definite answer and my primary doesn't feel I need any medications since my eating habits/lifestyle can lower it.
So crazy something our body produce(s) naturally can stop making. Then our bodies start breaking down, due to lack of the hormones and when we try to find "things" to bring balance we end up with illnesses and possibly dying from stroke/heart attack.
My GYN years ago gave me estradiol cream but that was for dryness only, she never mentioned hormone balance. I never truly used the cream .

@kris1130 you may be a good candidate for a VAP test which is a fancy cholesterol screening that gives much more info than the usual cholesterol check.

I copied and pasted as chrome says it better than I could

The VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) cholesterol test is an advanced lipid test that provides a detailed breakdown of cholesterol and lipoprotein particles beyond the standard lipid panel. It measures various subtypes of LDL, HDL, and VLDL cholesterol, including small dense LDL particles, and lipoprotein(a), which are important markers for cardiovascular risk. This test uses ultracentrifugation to directly measure lipid fractions rather than calculating LDL cholesterol, making it more accurate in identifying hidden heart disease risk.
The VAP test is useful for people with normal routine cholesterol tests but who still have risk factors or family history of heart disease. It provides a comprehensive profile that helps guide more personalized treatment strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk. The test is considered more precise in evaluating lipid abnormalities and detailed cardiovascular risk assessment than routine cholesterol tests.