Women's hormone therapy

Hormone therapy is an option when menopause symptoms affect your daily life and you have no medical reason to avoid it. Your provider makes that call with you.

Women describe the symptoms in different ways: hot flashes that come several times a day, night sweats that wake you, trouble sleeping, vaginal dryness or pain with sex, and periods that change in the years before they stop.⁶

The Menopause Society position statement says that for women younger than 60, or within 10 years of their last period, with no reasons to avoid it, the benefits of treating bothersome hot flashes and night sweats outweigh the risks. For women who start later, the balance is less favorable because the absolute risks of heart disease, stroke, blood clots and dementia are higher.²

• Menopause treatment: when periods have stopped for a year or more.
• Perimenopause treatment: the years of change before that.

Treatment depends on your symptoms and whether you still have a uterus. Your provider leads with FDA-approved estrogen and progesterone.

• Estrogen that reaches the whole body treats hot flashes and night sweats. ACOG says systemic estrogen "has been shown to be the best treatment for hot flashes and night sweats."³
• If you have a uterus, a progestogen is added, because estrogen alone raises the risk of endometrial cancer.^3,5
• Local estrogen, used only in the vagina, releases small doses directly into the vaginal tissue and treats dryness and pain with sex.³
• Medicines without hormones are an option for hot flashes when hormones aren't right for you.³

Your provider explains the medication and form they recommend, why, and how often you'll check in.

Testosterone for women

Testosterone is not FDA-approved for use in women.⁷ If a provider considers it, they explain why and what is known about it, and the same controlled-substance rules apply as for men. Testosterone care for men

Hormone therapy has risks, and they depend on your age, your health, the type of hormone and when you start. Your provider reviews them with you before anything is prescribed.

ACOG lists the main risks in plain terms: estrogen alone raises the risk of uterine cancer, combined therapy carries a small increased risk of breast cancer and of heart attack in older women, and both carry small increased risks of stroke and blood clots in the legs and of gallbladder disease.³

Labels list conditions in which estrogen is not used, including unexplained vaginal bleeding, breast cancer or a history of it, estrogen-dependent cancers, blood clots or a history of them, a stroke or heart attack now or in the past, liver disease and inherited clotting disorders.⁴

Read the Important Safety Information for hormone therapy

Care starts with a call with your coordinator, then any labs your provider needs, then a visit with a licensed provider at your local office or by secure video.

• Your coordinator has a direct line, schedules your labs and visits, and explains each cost before you pay.
• Labs are ordered for you at a lab near you. Which ones depend on your symptoms and history. Lab testing
• Your provider goes through your symptoms and history, explains the options and their risks, and decides with you whether treatment fits.
• If you start, follow-up visits review how you're doing and whether to continue. How it works

You pay for each step as you reach it: any labs, a provider fee for a set period and, if your provider prescribes treatment, a medication supply paid in full up front for a set period. Costs are explained before you pay, you get a receipt by email, and there is no membership, contract or automatic billing. How pricing works

Start at your local office or by secure video where your state allows. Find an office

Prescription treatment requires an evaluation by a licensed healthcare provider, who decides whether treatment is appropriate for you. Not everyone qualifies. Completing an assessment, booking a visit, or paying a fee does not guarantee a prescription.

1. FDA. FDA Requests Labeling Changes Related to Safety Information to Clarify the Benefit/Risk Considerations for Menopausal Hormone Therapies (November 10, 2025; content current as of 02/12/2026) www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-requests-labeling-changes-related-safety-information-clarify-benefitrisk-considerations
2. The 2022 Hormone Therapy Position Statement of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause. 2022;29(7):767-794 (abstract) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35797481/
3. ACOG. Hormone Therapy for Menopause (patient FAQ) www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/hormone-therapy-for-menopause
4. DailyMed. Estradiol and progesterone, prescribing information, updated label without a boxed warning (label effective 2026-09-29) dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=59eadb88-c9f3-4871-b176-7ddd98faf9bc
5. DailyMed. Estradiol (estrogen-alone), prescribing information, label still carrying the full boxed warning (label effective 2026-03-26) dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=1e9702c4-f2d7-4ea8-b6e8-7dca31671864
6. ACOG. The Menopause Years (patient FAQ): compounded bioidentical hormones www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/the-menopause-years
7. FDA. Testosterone Information (content current as of 06/23/2026) www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/testosterone-information

Medical services are provided by independently licensed physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants of affiliated professional corporations and their affiliated professional entities. Vitality Testosterone Replacement Therapy provides administrative and technology support and does not practice medicine. All treatment decisions are made at the sole discretion of the treating provider. Medications are dispensed by licensed pharmacies. This website is an advertisement for medical services and is not medical advice. If you have a medical emergency, call 911.