Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Davis, CA

Bioidentical hormones in Davis: what it means

Behind the label "bioidentical hormone replacement therapy" is a plain idea: a hormone whose structure matches the body's own. 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.

"BHRT" often means compounded hormones, a cream, a blend such as Bi-Est or a pellet that a pharmacy mixes for one prescription. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, so the FDA cannot assure their safety, effectiveness or dose. 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.

Through VevaMD, a physician licensed in California decides whether hormone therapy fits you and, if so, the form: an estradiol pill, patch, cream or vaginal cream, with progesterone if you have a uterus. Pellets are not part of it. Because the dispensing pharmacy also compounds, you can ask whether your estradiol or progesterone is an FDA-approved product. Two options are compounded for certain: testosterone cream for women and Bi-Est are not FDA-approved.

For its size, Davis is well supplied with OB-GYNs: the NPI registry lists 16, or 24.0 per 100,000 residents, against 17.8 for the US and above California's 16.9. That is about 390 women aged 45 to 64 for each OB-GYN in the city, a ratio rather than a count of open appointments.

Widen the circle and the count grows: 16 in the city or within 10 miles, 382 within 25 miles. For the 1,704,260 people who live within 25 miles, that is 22.4 per 100,000. Whether or not you have an OB-GYN, you can ask a physician licensed in California about menopause hormone therapy online from Davis, with no waiting room.

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 recommends FDA-approved menopause hormone therapy over compounded hormones.

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