Menopause Hormone Therapy (HRT) in Dover, NH

Bioidentical hormones in Dover: what it means

If you are one of the 4,066 women aged 45 to 64 in Dover and have searched for "bioidentical" hormones: the word means a hormone whose structure matches one the body makes. Estradiol, the main estrogen the ovaries make before menopause, and micronized progesterone both fit that description. Both come in FDA-approved prescription forms, from estradiol pills, patches, gels and vaginal forms to progesterone capsules.

"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. 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.

Dover is a center for OB-GYN care: the federal NPI registry lists 18 OB-GYNs with a primary practice address in the city, 54.4 per 100,000 residents, 3.0 times the US rate of 17.8 and above New Hampshire's 21.0. That is more per resident than 88% of the 924 cities VevaMD covers. With about 4,066 women aged 45 to 64 living in Dover, that is about 230 for each OB-GYN in the city, before counting any younger patients.

Even counting 25 miles out, there are 66 OB-GYNs (44 within 10 miles) for 481,053 residents: 13.7 per 100,000, below the national rate. VevaMD is an online option alongside them: a physician licensed in New Hampshire reviews your intake from Dover without an office visit, and an OB-GYN you already see stays your doctor.

Through VevaMD, a physician licensed in New Hampshire 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. There are no pellets. 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.

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 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