Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Daly City, CA

Bioidentical hormones in Daly City: what it means

If you are one of the 13,347 women aged 45 to 64 in Daly City and have searched for "bioidentical" hormones: the word means a hormone whose structure matches one the body makes. Two hormones used in menopause care fit it exactly, estradiol and micronized progesterone. FDA-approved versions of both are sold by prescription at retail pharmacies.

Compounded hormones are a different thing: a pharmacy prepares them for one patient, as a cream, a capsule or a pellet. None of these is FDA-approved, and the FDA has not reviewed them for safety, effectiveness or quality before sale. The FDA says it has no evidence that compounded "bioidentical hormones" are safe and effective, or more effective than FDA-approved hormone therapy. When the National Academies reviewed them in 2020, the evidence was mostly low quality, such as anecdotes and patient reports.

28 OB-GYNs in the federal NPI registry give a primary practice address in Daly City: 27.3 per 100,000 residents, above the US rate of 17.8 and above California's 16.9, and more per resident than 65% of the 924 cities VevaMD covers. With about 13,347 women aged 45 to 64 living in Daly City, that is about 480 for each OB-GYN in the city, before counting any younger patients.

Within 25 miles of Daly City there are 856 OB-GYNs for 3,301,732 residents (25.9 per 100,000), well above the national rate; 341 are in the city or within 10 miles. VevaMD is an online option alongside them: a physician licensed in California reviews your intake from Daly City without an office visit, and an OB-GYN you already see stays your doctor.

You do not choose a "bioidentical" product from a menu: after a private intake, a physician licensed in California decides what, if anything, fits, and the form. Pellets are not part of it. The pharmacy that fills VevaMD prescriptions also compounds, so ask your physician whether yours is an FDA-approved product or compounded. Testosterone cream for women and Bi-Est are compounded and not FDA-approved.

Then there are pellets, implanted under the skin at a clinic; compounded pellets are not FDA-approved. The Endocrine Society cites blood levels well above the expected range in women using compounded pellets. 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