Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Des Moines, IA
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy for women: estradiol and progesterone, from a physician licensed in Iowa.
Is menopause hormone therapy available in Des Moines, IA? Yes. VevaMD offers hormone replacement therapy for women online everywhere in Iowa, including Des Moines (population 214,133), with no trip to a menopause doctor's office. About 25,252 women aged 45 to 64 live in Des Moines (Census ACS). A board-certified physician licensed in Iowa reviews your intake. As low as $40/mo, billed $119 every 3 months. Most women (with progesterone): about $67/mo, billed $199 every 3 months. One price for your need, whatever form your physician chooses. No minimum term; cancel anytime. Full refund if not prescribed.
Looking for hormone therapy for men? That is testosterone therapy. What is available in Iowa →
At a glance in Des Moines
- Available
- Yes, all of Iowa.
- Prescriber
- Board-certified, licensed in Iowa.
- Visit
- Online intake. Video only for testosterone cream.
- Labs
- Only if under 40 or for testosterone cream.
- Price
- Starting at $40/mo
- Ships
- NewLife, VS Digital or Pharmacy Hub.
- Refund
- Full, if not prescribed.
Check any physician's license with the Iowa Board of Medicine.
Bioidentical hormones in Des Moines: 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.
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. In the FDA's words, it has no evidence that compounded "bioidentical hormones" are safe and effective. A 2020 National Academies review found no rigorous evidence of their safety and effectiveness.
Des Moines has 33 OB-GYNs in the federal NPI registry, 15.5 per 100,000 residents, close to the US rate of 17.8 and above Iowa's 13.1. With about 25,252 women aged 45 to 64 living in Des Moines, that is about 770 for each OB-GYN in the city, before counting any younger patients.
Even counting 25 miles out, there are 86 OB-GYNs (35 within 10 miles) for 665,175 residents: 12.9 per 100,000, below the national rate. VevaMD is an online option alongside them: a physician licensed in Iowa reviews your intake from Des Moines 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 Iowa decides what, if anything, fits, and the form. Pellets are not part of it. Since the pharmacy that fills these prescriptions also compounds, ask 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 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
Des Moines by the numbers
- Population
- 214,133
- Median age
- 34.6 (Iowa: 38.6)
- Women 45 to 64
- 25,252 (11.9% of residents; Iowa 12.0%)
- Land area
- 88 sq mi
- People per sq mi
- 2,428
- Size in Iowa
- 1st largest of 11 cities we cover
- Our pages within 100 mi
- 4
- Closest
- West Des Moines, IA, 9 mi
- OB-GYNs in Des Moines
- 33 listed in the federal NPI registry
US Census Bureau, 2023 Gazetteer Files · US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates · CMS NPI Registry (NPPES), October 2026
Des Moines health snapshot
CDC estimates for adults, ranked against 923 US cities.
| Adults | Des Moines | Iowa cities avg | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity | 39.4% | 36.9% | 86 |
| High blood pressure | 32.8% | 30.8% | 61 |
| No leisure-time exercise | 28.8% | 24.4% | 74 |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 35.8% | 33.2% | 45 |
| Depression | 22.2% | 21.9% | 56 |
| Checkup in past year | 74.5% | 76.1% | 42 |
| Uninsured, ages 18–64 | 10.6% | 8.1% | 50 |
Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (model-based estimates from 2023 BRFSS data).
Menopause HRT pages near Des Moines
- West Des Moines, IA9 mipop. 68,723
- Ankeny, IA11 mipop. 67,887
- Ames, IA31 mipop. 66,427
- Waterloo, IA91 mipop. 67,314
- Cedar Rapids, IA103 mipop. 137,710
- Iowa City, IA108 mipop. 74,828
Straight-line distance from city centers. US Census Bureau, 2023 Gazetteer Files.
Menopause HRT in Des Moines: questions people ask
Can I get hormone replacement therapy for women online in Des Moines, IA?
Yes. An online intake reviewed by a licensed physician. Testosterone cream requires a live video visit. A physician licensed in Iowa decides whether estradiol (pill, patch, cream or vaginal), progesterone or another option fits.
How many women 45 to 64 live in Des Moines?
About 25,252, or 11.9% of residents (Census ACS, 2019 to 2023). That share is below the statewide 12.0% and higher than in 8 of the other 10 Iowa cities we cover.
How many OB-GYNs practice in Des Moines?
The federal NPI registry (CMS NPPES) lists 33 OB-GYNs with a primary practice address in Des Moines, as of October 2026. That is 15.5 per 100,000 residents (Census ACS, 2019 to 2023), below the 31.7 for the 11 Iowa cities we cover taken together, and higher than in 1 of the other 10.
Is bioidentical hormone therapy (BHRT) available in Des Moines?
From home in Des Moines: a physician licensed in Iowa reviews a private intake and decides whether estradiol, with progesterone if you have a uterus, fits. Compounded "BHRT" blends are not FDA-approved; ask whether your prescription is an FDA-approved product or compounded.
What is the difference between this and BHRT pellets?
A pellet clinic implants a hormone pellet under the skin during an office visit; compounded pellets are not FDA-approved. VevaMD's physicians prescribe pills, patches, creams or vaginal forms that ship to your door in Des Moines, and do not use pellets. Some of those forms are compounded too, so ask which yours is.
More answers on the Menopause HRT page.