Hormone replacement therapy
I live in a very rural area. Should I buy a hormone panel over the internet?
Q: I live in a very rural area, and there are no doctors near me who know about bioidentical hormones. I found a hormone panel on the internet that I can use at home. The on-line pharmacy will interpret results for me. Then all I have to do is get a doctor to prescribe it. What do you think of that?
A: We usually don’t recommend this approach to start with. We have often found the saliva tests used in at–home tests to be unreliable, highly variable, and difficult to interpret. (See our article on menopause and FSH kits for an in-depth discussion.)
We realize that using an at–home kit may be a lot easier than getting blood drawn, but we much prefer blood tests, at least to start with. Some on-line pharmacies are indeed experts in bioidentical hormones, but we feel that you may need the continuity of care that only a focused patient–practitioner relationship with an experienced healthcare provider can provide.
In an ideal world, all women would have access to healthcare providers well versed in bioidentical hormone testing, interpretation of the results, and hormone therapy custom-compounded to meet their individual needs. But if blood testing cannot be carried out by your local practitioner, or your practitioner is unwilling or unable to interpret the results, you may need to travel to the nearest city. Visit Women’s International Pharmacy for more information on hormone testing labs and finding a practitioner who can assist you.
Alternatively, you can arrange a phone consultation or become a patient of our clinic. For information on making an appointment, click here or call 1-800-340-5382. Office hours are 8:00 AM–12 noon and 1:00–4:00 PM ET, Monday–Friday.
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Our Personal Program is a great place to start
The Personal Program promotes natural hormonal balance with nutritional supplements,
our exclusive endocrine support formula, dietary and lifestyle guidance, and optional
phone consultations with our Nurse–Educators. It is a convenient, at-home
version of what we recommend to all our patients at the clinic.
If you have questions, don't hesitate to call us toll-free at
1-800-798-7902. We're here to listen and help.
We’re always happy to welcome new patients to our medical clinic in Yarmouth,
Maine, for those who can make the trip. Click
here for information about making an appointment.
Related to this article:
References & further reading on bioidentical hormones and other forms of HRT
Original Publication Date: 12/07/2006
Last Modified: 02/16/2010
Principal Author: Marcy Holmes, NP, Certified Menopause Clinician