The
hormones Estradiol, Progesterone and Testosterone can be delivered in different ways AND with different timing. Estradiol is available as a regular pharmaceutical prescription (from your CVS or Walgreens type pharmacy) in a gel or a patch. Progesterone is available in a pill. (There is no FDA approved form of testosterone for women.) These options are in fact bioidentical, meaning the same exact molecules that your body produces. **NON bioidentical hormones are still available as the medication PremPro or Premphase. These are NOT recommended due to increased risk of cancer, strokes and heart disease.
Through compounding pharmacies, custom dosing of bioidentical hormones is available, as well as many different delivery systems (oral, sublingual, cream, gel, suppository). Then, the options are to take the same dosages every day (static dosing) OR to mimic the monthly changes seen in younger women (rhythmic dosing).
An experienced functional or integrative medicine provider can help navigate these options for the very best outcome. It DOES sometimes take a bit of time and adjusting to get there, but it can be VERY worth the effort.