Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Tempe, AZ

Bioidentical hormones in Tempe: what it means

"Bioidentical" describes a hormone whose chemical structure matches one the body makes. Two hormones used in menopause care fit it exactly, estradiol and micronized progesterone. Both come in FDA-approved prescription forms, from estradiol pills, patches, gels and vaginal forms to progesterone capsules.

Only 27 OB-GYNs list a primary practice address in Tempe in the NPI registry. For 186,419 residents that is 14.5 per 100,000, under the US 17.8 and about level with Arizona's 14.6. With about 16,502 women aged 45 to 64 living in Tempe, that is about 610 for each OB-GYN in the city, before counting any younger patients.

Widen the circle and the count grows: 225 in the city or within 10 miles, 691 within 25 miles. For the 3,697,388 people who live within 25 miles, that is 18.7 per 100,000. None of this replaces your own OB-GYN or a menopause doctor you trust; VevaMD adds an online route, with a physician licensed in Arizona reviewing your answers from home in Tempe.

Many products sold as "bioidentical hormones" or "BHRT" are compounded instead: mixed by a pharmacy for one prescription, often as a custom cream or a pellet. None of these is FDA-approved, and the FDA has not reviewed them for safety, effectiveness or quality before sale. In the FDA's words, it has no evidence that compounded "bioidentical hormones" are safe and effective. When the National Academies reviewed them in 2020, the evidence was mostly low quality, such as anecdotes and patient reports.

You do not choose a "bioidentical" product from a menu: after a private intake, a physician licensed in Arizona decides what, if anything, fits, and the form. VevaMD does not offer pellets. The pharmacy that fills VevaMD prescriptions also compounds, so ask your physician whether yours is an FDA-approved product or compounded. Two options are compounded for certain: testosterone cream for women and Bi-Est are not FDA-approved.

Then there are pellets, implanted under the skin at a clinic; compounded pellets are not FDA-approved. The Endocrine Society points to a study that found hormone levels well above the expected range in women using them. ACOG advises FDA-approved hormone therapy over compounded preparations.

Sources: FDA: Menopause · FDA: National Academies study of compounded bioidentical hormones (2020) · Endocrine Society position statement on compounded bioidentical hormones (2019) · ACOG Clinical Consensus No. 6, compounded bioidentical menopausal hormone therapy (2023) · CMS NPPES NPI full file, 2026-10-11