Hormone & Menopause Care
Frequently asked questions
What is Perimenopause, Menopause, and Postmenopause?
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Perimenopause is the transition before your final period when hormone levels become irregular, often 7- 10 years prior to menopause.
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Menopause is a single day: 12 months after your last period (average age ~51).
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Postmenopause is every year after that day. Many women spend a third of their life in this stage.
Why it happens: We’re born with all our eggs; as they decline with age, estrogen and progesterone fall and become erratic. They remain low after periods stop. Testosterone also declines, but it is partly made in the adrenal glands.
What is Hormone Therapy (HRT)?
Hormone therapy (also called HT, HRT, MHT, BHRT) supplements the hormones that decline in midlife, primarily estradiol (often via patch/gel/spray), micronized progesterone (usually oral; needed if you have a uterus), and sometimes low-dose testosterone (topical; typically added later). Transdermal estradiol bypasses the liver and is often preferred. Cream-form progesterone isn’t recommended for uterine protection.
When do I start? Is HRT safe?
You don’t have to wait for periods to stop; treatment during perimenopause can help symptoms and may reduce chronic risks.
There are few absolute contraindications (e.g., active estrogen-sensitive cancer, unexplaineduterine bleeding until evaluated, recent heart attack/stroke, recent active clot unless fully anticoagulated, with transdermal often still considered, severe liver disease, or specific allergies to components). Many conditions do not automatically exclude HRT (e.g., migraines, MTHFR, BRCA+, high cholesterol/BP, obesity), but require individualized care.