My Biggest Mistakes with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Peggy B. - Experienced HRT Patient Reviewer
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
A doctor that I now refer to as my "Diet Doc" put me on bioidentical HRT in 2019. Once Covid-19 hit, we began to meet via Zoom and I soon realized, that consultations for ongoing HRT could definitely be done by telehealth. I also realized that if and when he needed for me to do bloodwork or labs, he could put the orders in and I could go somewhere close to where I live to get that done.
There was really no need to drive for 45 minutes, to sit in a waiting room for 20 minutes only to have 11 minutes of his time, then drive 45 minutes back home. It was such a waste of time.
When this diet doc started insisting that we meet in person, I went on a mission to find a telehealth provider who could provide bioidentical HRT care.
Where can I get Hormone Replacement Therapy online?
Mistake #1 - assuming the only way to get HRT was in person and from your GYN
Currently, my GYN isn't on board with me taking HRT and you know what, I don't care. I've made this decision for myself and I've stayed strong in arguing back to her the reasons I take it and why I don't plan to stop. As with many old-school docs, she isn't well versed in the new science and hasn't gotten herself up to speed on new research.
See YouTube Video below. The FDA invited a several docs in to discuss HRT and the benefits of it. Each medical expert was permitted 5-minutes to state their case on why they support the use Hormone Replacement Therapy.
If you aren't able to find in-person care in your area or if you also have a GYN who isn't on board, don't lose hope. See my HRT Trusted Providers Page to explore a few telehealth providers that I've tried as a patient. There are even a few with coupon codes for new patients.
Does Insurance cover Hormone Replacement Therapy?
Mistake #2 - Assuming the prescription insurance offered to me by my full-time employer wouldn't cover Bioidentical HRT
Here is where I got it so wrong. What my diet doc, was prescribing to me was bioidentical HRT that he had custom designed just for me. He had prescribed a ratio of Estradiol, Testosterone and Progesterone that was custom for me. He ordered it from a compound pharmacy and told me I would have to pay out of pocket. It was about $90 per month. I believed him.
What I have since learned, is that any HRT product that can be picked up at a regular pharmacy will be covered by insurance. These products have been through FDA approvals and are produced in mass manufacturing pharmaceutical facilities. They may be available in different doses, but they can't be customized like HRT products that come from a compound pharmacy. You are at the mercy of whatever dose and only the products that have been approved by the FDA.
Any HRT product that comes from a compound pharmacy won't be covered by insurance. The ingredients in these products are FDA approved, but because they are custom prescribed and created, the FDA hasn't approved that specific product or dose or ratio that your doc might be prescribing.
What are bioidentical hormones?
Mistake #3 - I thought all HRT that came from a local pharmacy wasn't bioidentical and that the only way I could get bioidentical was from a compound pharmacy
Bioidentical hormones are substances with the exact same molecular structure as hormones naturally produced by the human body, derived from plant sources and altered in a laboratory to be chemically identical to endogenous hormones like estrogen or progesterone. They can be FDA-approved or custom-compounded by pharmacies.
It's the ingredients that make it bioidentical or not. If your HRT contains Estradiol and/or Progesterone and/or Testosterone, they are bioidentical. What's not bioidentical for example, is the Premarin that our mothers took back in the 1990's and early 2000's. That pill had female horse urine in it. Yuck.
Check the ingredients and prescription bottles to confirm what your HRT is comprised of. Whether it came from a regular neighborhood pharmacy or a compound doesn't make it bioidentical or not.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Formulations
Mistake #4 was thinking all HRT formulations were equal. Today we have patches, pills, gels, topical creams and vaginal delivery creams. Like most, I tried the topical creams early on my journey because they were the most affordable.
At one point, I had been using a topical estrogen/progesterone cream on my forearms. When I switch providers I had labs to test HRT levels. The labs revealed that my levels were very low and definitely not in the optimal range, even with the use of a topical estradiol/progesterone cream.
I found better results when I switched to the patch and progesterone tablets. And then even better results when I switched to a new product, called Oestra. It delivers estradiol and progesterone HRT vaginally.
Is Hormone Replacement Therapy safe
Mistake #5 was not doing my research sooner and allowing my preconceived, negative and wrong ideas of HRT to outweigh new data.
The Women’s Health Initiative study that was done in the early 2000’s didn’t do us women any favors. Since that time the study has been totally debunked and now we are focusing on the benefits of HRT instead of using scare tactics.
See video that the FDA posted in late July 2025. (It's above in this blog). They invited ten doctors and researchers in to speak on their thoughts of Hormone Replacement Therapy and menopause in general. HRT is safe for many women and the possible negative side effects far outweigh the benefits.
For example, the one researcher showed a woman sitting at a football game. The outside air temp was quite a bit less than her body temp. While in the midst of a hot flash you could see the steam coming off her head. That heat is burning the white matter in our brains. Uh, that doesn't seem good, does it?
HRT helps our brains, our bones and our heart in addition to the menopause symptom relief we get.
If you have any doubt on whether HRT is safe, watch the FDA video and also connect with Dr. Mary Claire Haver and Dr. Kelly Casperson on social media.
My Biggest Mistakes with Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
I had lunch with two friends today. Two of us are on HRT and one isn't. The one who isn't was surprised to learn that we were taking Hormone Replacement Therapy and immediately asked the question, "Aren't you concerned you'll get breast cancer?" My friend Donna, who is also a retired nursed and I looked at each other and immediately had the same thought. It's sad that so many women are mis-informed about HRT.
The other friend Janie, well now that she realizes that HRT could have helped her all these years, but at her current age, she's too old to start. I felt sad about this fact.
She went on to share how she doesn't sleep well and her hair is very thin and not the same as it used to be. Sadly, she is stuck and likely feels a bit jilted by our medical system. The fact that she's missed out on HRT for the past 20 years due to bad and incorrect information that was reported back in 2002. Today, that same study and it's supporters are trying to right their wrong. Women's Health Initiative.
These are my 5 biggest mistakes I made when I starting Hormone Replacement Therapy. What were or are yours? What's holding you back?
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