Female Hormone Replacement Therapy

Conveniently located to serve the areas of Lafayette, LA

Female Hormone Replacement Therapy uses estrogen and/or testosterone to restore declining hormone levels in women during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Treatment may provide benefits beyond relief of menopausal symptoms by addressing the broader effects of age-related hormone decline on bone density, muscle mass and body composition, sexual and genitourinary health, and aspects of cognitive and brain health, with treatment individualized according to each woman’s symptoms, age, and health history.

Female Hormone Replacement Therapy Consultation

Membership

About the Treatment

Female hormone replacement therapy is used to restore declining estrogen and/or testosterone levels during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Hormonal decline can contribute to symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, disrupted sleep, vaginal dryness, decreased libido, changes in energy and cognition, and loss of muscle mass, while also affecting bone density, body composition, genitourinary health, and other aspects of long-term health and aging.

Hormonal health also plays an important role in skin health and aging. Estrogen influences collagen production, skin thickness, elasticity, hydration, and normal tissue repair. As estrogen declines around menopause, accelerated changes in collagen and hydration can contribute to thinning, laxity, and dryness. Because Refyne combines medical wellness with advanced aesthetics, hormonal health may also be considered alongside treatments such as BBL HEROic®, MOXI®, and SkinTyte® as part of a comprehensive approach to healthy aging.

A Comprehensive, Individualized Approach

Our approach to female hormone replacement therapy extends beyond simply checking hormone levels and prescribing a standard dose. Our provider, Dr. Brooklyn Buras, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, received specialized training and clinical experience under one of New England’s leading prescribers of bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, with an emphasis on comprehensive evaluation, individualized dosing, ongoing monitoring, and hormone optimization. Every patient begins with a detailed consultation that includes a review of symptoms, medical and gynecologic history, current medications and supplements, previous hormone therapy, menstrual and menopausal history, lifestyle factors, and individual treatment goals.

Hormone levels are evaluated within the context of the whole patient rather than treated as isolated laboratory values. Symptoms associated with hormonal changes during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause can overlap with thyroid dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, metabolic abnormalities, medications, sleep disturbances, and other medical conditions. For this reason, treatment begins with understanding each woman’s symptoms, stage of hormonal transition, overall health, and individual needs—not simply treating a laboratory number. This comprehensive evaluation is supported by an extensive baseline laboratory assessment and continued laboratory monitoring throughout treatment, allowing estrogen and testosterone therapy to be individually selected, dosed, and adjusted over time based on both clinical response and objective findings.

Comprehensive Laboratory Evaluation & Monitoring

Baseline laboratory testing is performed in our clinic and includes a comprehensive evaluation. Estradiol and FSH are interpreted alongside the patient’s age, menstrual and menopausal history, symptoms, and current or previous hormone therapy to provide additional clinical context regarding ovarian function and hormonal transition. Testosterone is evaluated using both total and free levels, while sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) provides important context because it binds circulating sex hormones and influences the amount of testosterone that is biologically available to the body’s tissues.

Our evaluation also includes thyroid function, blood counts, liver and kidney function, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and other clinically appropriate health markers. These results are interpreted together with the patient’s symptoms, medical and gynecologic history, medications, age, body composition, and individual treatment goals rather than using a single laboratory value to determine treatment. This allows us to identify other abnormalities that may contribute to symptoms commonly attributed to hormonal changes and develop a more complete understanding of the patient’s overall health.

Once laboratory results are available, patients return to Refyne Medical Aesthetics and Wellness for a dedicated follow-up appointment. We review the results together in detail, discuss how the laboratory findings relate to the patient’s symptoms and stage of hormonal transition, answer questions, and determine whether estrogen therapy, testosterone therapy, a combination of both is medically appropriate. When hormone replacement therapy is initiated, dosing is individualized and laboratory monitoring continues throughout treatment so therapy can be adjusted according to the patient’s clinical response, hormone levels, and ongoing health needs.

Patients who elect to proceed with hormone replacement therapy receive their pre-treatment instructions electronically so they know exactly how to prepare before their procedure. Follow-up laboratory testing is performed after initiating therapy and periodically thereafter to evaluate response, guide future dosing, and support continued safe, individualized hormone management.

What Does Female Hormone Replacement Therapy Address?

Female hormone replacement therapy is designed to address the symptoms and physiologic changes associated with declining estrogen and testosterone levels during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. Because these hormones influence multiple systems throughout the body, hormonal decline can affect much more than hot flashes or menstrual changes.

Treatment may help address hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, disrupted sleep, decreased energy, brain fog and difficulty concentrating, decreased libido, vaginal dryness and discomfort, genitourinary symptoms, recurrent urinary tract infections, dry or thinning skin, changes in body composition, and loss of muscle mass and strength.

Hormone replacement therapy may also have important effects beyond symptoms a patient can immediately feel. When appropriately prescribed, estrogen therapy can help prevent bone loss and reduce fracture risk and can support genitourinary tissue health. Hormonal health is also closely connected with muscle and metabolic health, skin quality and hydration, sexual health, sleep, and aspects of cognitive function and overall healthy aging.

Estrogen also plays an important role in collagen production, skin thickness, elasticity, hydration, and wound healing. Declining estrogen levels can therefore contribute to accelerated skin aging, dryness, thinning, and loss of elasticity. At Refyne Medical Aesthetics and Wellness, we consider these changes alongside a patient’s aesthetic treatment plan because healthy skin function and tissue quality are important components of both medical wellness and aesthetic aging.

The Role of Testosterone in Women’s Health

Testosterone is an important female hormone and plays a role in health throughout a woman’s life. Although conversations surrounding menopause often focus primarily on estrogen, women naturally produce testosterone as well, and testosterone production declines with age. At Refyne Medical Aesthetics and Wellness we believe testosterone deserves consideration as part of a comprehensive evaluation of female hormonal health, rather than focusing on estrogen alone.

Testosterone has important physiologic roles in sexual desire and sexual function, skeletal muscle, bone metabolism, and overall body composition. Among the best-established therapeutic benefits, testosterone can improve sexual desire, arousal, orgasmic function, pleasure, and sexual responsiveness.

Women may also present with concerns such as decreased energy or endurance, loss of strength or muscle with age, changes in sleep, brain fog, or an afternoon decline in energy. For this reason, our evaluation of female hormonal health considers both estrogen and testosterone, with treatment individualized according to each patient’s symptoms, laboratory findings, stage of hormonal transition, medical history, and treatment goals.

Bioidentical Hormone Pellet Therapy

Refyne Medical Aesthetics and Wellness uses bioidentical estrogen and testosterone, meaning the hormones have the same molecular structure as the hormones naturally produced by the human body. The hormones used for pellet therapy are derived from plant-based sources and formulated into bioidentical hormones before being prepared in pellet form.

Estrogen and testosterone are separate pellets with independently selected doses—there is not one standard pellet containing a predetermined combination of hormones. Depending on the patient’s individual needs, a patient may receive estrogen, testosterone, or both. The dose is selected before insertion based on factors such as the patient’s symptoms, laboratory results, age, body composition, previous hormone therapy, and clinical history, allowing treatment to be tailored to the individual patient.

The Pellet Insertion Procedure

Pellet insertion is a brief, minimally invasive in-office procedure. The skin is thoroughly cleansed and local lidocaine is administered to numb the treatment area. A very small incision is then made, and the prescribed hormone pellet or pellets—approximately the size of a small grain or miniature tablet—are placed beneath the skin within the subcutaneous fatty tissue. The incision is closed with Steri-Strips rather than sutures in most cases, and a pressure dressing is applied. The dressing is generally removed after three days according to the patient’s post-procedure instructions. Detailed aftercare instructions are sent electronically following treatment so patients know how to care for the insertion site and what to expect during recovery. Once inserted, the pellets slowly dissolve beneath the skin, allowing the hormone to be gradually absorbed into the bloodstream over time rather than delivered as a single dose. This provides sustained hormone delivery between treatments and is designed to more closely approximate the body’s continuous exposure to naturally circulating hormones. Treatment intervals vary by patient, although women commonly return for repeat pellet placement approximately every three to four months.

Follow-Up & Ongoing Hormone Optimization

Treatment does not end with pellet insertion. Following the initial treatment, patients are scheduled for approximately a six-week follow-up with repeat laboratory testing. We evaluate hormone levels alongside the patient’s symptoms, clinical response, and overall experience with treatment. This information helps determine whether dosing should remain the same or be adjusted at the next insertion.

Patients can access their laboratory results through Refyne’s patient portal, allowing them to remain informed and actively involved in their care. Subsequent pellet appointments are generally scheduled approximately three to four months apart, with continued laboratory monitoring, symptom assessment, and individualized dose adjustments as appropriate.

The goal is not simply to replace a hormone based on a number—it is to provide thoughtful, medically supervised hormone optimization that considers the whole patient and evolves with her needs over time. For patients who want to make hormone optimization part of their ongoing wellness plan, Refyne also offers a Female Hormone Optimization Membership designed to provide continuity of care along with exclusive member benefits. Membership includes ongoing hormone replacement therapy and monitoring, with additional preferred pricing and perks across select Refyne wellness and aesthetic services. Our goal is to make long-term hormone optimization convenient and accessible while supporting the many ways hormonal health can influence how women feel, function, and age.

Who Is a Candidate?

Candidates are women in perimenopause, menopause, or postmenopause whose symptoms affect their quality of life, and who have been evaluated and cleared for therapy. For most healthy women, the benefits of hormone therapy are most favorable when it starts before age 60 or within 10 years of menopause.

Hormone therapy may not be appropriate if you have a history of breast or other hormone-sensitive cancer, blood clots, stroke, heart attack, active liver disease, or unexplained vaginal bleeding. Women with a uterus who use estrogen generally need progesterone to protect the uterine lining. Other options exist for women who can’t use hormones.

The Hormone Consultation

Your first visit reviews your symptoms, medical and gynecologic history, menstrual and menopausal history, medications and supplements, prior hormone use, lifestyle, and goals. Baseline labs are drawn in clinic. At a separate results visit, your provider explains how your labs relate to your symptoms and your stage of transition, answers your questions, and recommends a plan.

What to Expect During Treatment

Pellet insertion is a brief in-office procedure that usually takes about 15 minutes. The skin, usually on the upper buttock or hip, is cleansed and numbed with lidocaine. A very small incision is made, and pellets about the size of a grain of rice are placed in the fatty tissue beneath the skin. The incision is usually closed with Steri-Strips and covered with a pressure dressing. The pellets dissolve slowly and release hormones steadily between visits.

Recovery and Aftercare

Most patients return to normal activities the same day. Mild tenderness or bruising at the site is common. Keep the dressing dry and in place for about three days, and avoid strenuous lower-body exercise, baths, pools, and hot tubs for several days. Detailed aftercare instructions are sent electronically. Contact us if you notice redness, drainage, or a pellet working its way out.

Results

Many women notice improvement in sleep, hot flashes, mood, and energy within 1 to 4 weeks. Changes in libido, body composition, and skin can take longer. Response varies from woman to woman, which is why dosing is adjusted over time based on labs and symptoms. Benefits last only as long as therapy continues.

Why Choose Refyne for Female HRT?

Refyne’s provider is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with specialized training in bioidentical hormone therapy. Every patient receives comprehensive in-clinic labs, a dedicated results visit, and separately dosed estrogen and testosterone. Follow-up labs guide every adjustment, and results are available in the patient portal. Because Refyne also offers aesthetics, your hormone and skin health can be addressed together.

FAQ

What is bioidentical hormone therapy?

It uses hormones with the same molecular structure as the ones your body naturally produces.

Why include testosterone for women?

Women make testosterone too. It supports libido, muscle, and bone, and it declines with age.

Am I a candidate?

Women with bothersome perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms who are medically cleared after labs and a full evaluation may be candidates.

Does pellet insertion hurt?

The area is numbed with lidocaine, so most patients feel only pressure.

How often are pellets replaced?

Typically every 3 to 4 months.

When will I feel better?

Many women notice changes within a few weeks, and full benefits develop over time.

Are there risks or side effects?

Site tenderness, bruising, infection, pellet extrusion, acne, hair changes, and breast tenderness are possible. Your provider reviews the risks of hormone therapy based on your health history.