Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Centennial, CO

Bioidentical hormones in Centennial: what it means

"Bioidentical" is a word compounding pharmacies often use in marketing, but what it describes is real: a hormone built like the body's own. Estradiol, the main estrogen the ovaries make before menopause, and micronized progesterone both fit that description. FDA-approved versions of both are sold by prescription at retail pharmacies.

Centennial has fewer OB-GYNs per resident than the country: the federal NPI registry lists 10 with a primary practice address in the city, 9.3 per 100,000 residents against 17.8 nationally and below Colorado's 19.7. With about 14,283 women aged 45 to 64 living in Centennial, that is about 1,430 for each OB-GYN in the city, before counting any younger patients.

Within 25 miles of Centennial there are 708 OB-GYNs for 2,682,371 residents (26.4 per 100,000), well above the national rate; 222 are in the city or within 10 miles. VevaMD is an online option alongside them: a physician licensed in Colorado reviews your intake from Centennial without an office visit, and an OB-GYN you already see stays your doctor.

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. They are not FDA-approved, which means the FDA cannot assure their safety or effectiveness. The FDA also says it has no evidence that they are safe and effective, or more effective than approved hormone therapy. The National Academies, reviewing them for the FDA in 2020, called their wide use a public health concern.

For women in Centennial, a physician licensed in Colorado can prescribe estradiol (pill, patch, cream or vaginal) and progesterone when they fit your history. 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. Testosterone cream for women and Bi-Est are compounded and not FDA-approved.

A pellet clinic is a different model: it implants a hormone pellet under the skin during a visit, and compounded pellets are not FDA-approved. The Endocrine Society cites blood levels well above the expected range in women using compounded pellets. ACOG's guidance is to prefer FDA-approved menopause hormone therapy to 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