I’m with a telehealth and they will not send my prescriptions to these pharmacies you have listed. I’m paying way too much but do t know how to change providers to get these prices. Can you please help?
Amy, thanks so much for this post! I wish I knew all of this a year ago when I started my MHT journey! I do find the compounded testosterone cream to be a God-send compared to working with Testim tubes and trying to make that little tube last for 10 days. I could never get it right. I love your content. It's been so helpful to me. I just got back from attending the annual ISSWSH conference (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health) and there were multiple presentations concerning using testosterone vaginally (specifically 0.1% testosterone + 0.3% estradiol compounded in a methylcellulose base). I did not know this but apparently there are many testosterone receptors inside the vagina, on the clitoris and particularly around the vestibule. Per the presenter, not only is it helpful for menopausal women but it can be given to lactating women and also younger women experiencing loss of libido and painful intercourse due to testosterone reduction because of contraception such as progesterone IUDs. It seems to be more effective than estradiol alone and also more effective than Intrarosa DHEA suppositories --- And you only need to use 1 g - 2x weekly rather than daily. I have used Intrarosa but I find it unpleasantly greasy and mildly irritating. I'm eager to try this other solution. According to Dr. Irwin Goldstein it improves arousal and amplifies orgasm in menopausal women - which is my particular struggle. Have you come across this in your practice? Anyway, thank you again for your work. It is improving my quality of life!
Um, potential "irritants and allergens". I'd absolutely enjoy the cost savings, but I'm unsure about the impurities. Can you expound on that? I'm on a brain health protocol and work really hard to stay clean.
Is there a role for cardiac calcium scan in determining post menopausal vascular disease as a guidelines for estrogen prescription in a population of women 10 years post menopause or over age 60?
Sigh, I tried to get the testosterone from GoodRX and was disappointed. The cheapest was Walgreens at $39.91, so I had my doctor send it in specifically to match. Walgreens told me that it was $140 and that they don't have the drug that the coupon specifies. Better than the $400 regular price. Debating whether to take it. I'd try again, but I have a feeling this is a bait and switch kind of thing.
Ive been sending my patients to check out cost plus and I always tell them to check prices with good rx, which sometimes is cheaper than with insurance.
Really pragmatic post, and I appreciate the core message: “affordable” doesn’t have to mean “sketchy.” Making evidence-based hormone therapy accessible through standard prescribers + standard pharmacies (and transparent cash pricing tools) is a big win for patients who are otherwise pushed toward opaque, high-markup pathways. 
The key, as you’re implicitly emphasizing, is that “cheap” should never mean unsupervised:
1. Right indication + right route: systemic vs vaginal/local estrogen are different tools, and route matters for risk/benefit in different patients (e.g., oral vs transdermal considerations).
2. Endometrial protection: anyone with a uterus needs appropriate progesterone strategy alongside systemic estrogen.
3. Testosterone in women: dosing/monitoring nuance is real (and “men’s gel math” is only safe when a clinician is actively guiding it, with clear targets and side-effect surveillance).
4. Follow-up is the therapy: symptom response + vitals + appropriate labs and adverse-effect checks are what keep “optimization” from drifting into “experiment.”
Net: lowering the cost barrier is necessary, but pairing it with good clinical guardrails is what makes it actually equitable. This is the kind of nuts-and-bolts transparency patients are hungry for.
Thanks for the great writeup and sharing all these resouces! One more to add: you can also get your hormones tested for "cheap" at app.hellogoodlabs.com :)
You're welcome!
Thank you so much for taking the time to do this leg work for us, it's so unbelievably helpful! I deeply appreciate you and everything you do! ❤️
I’m with a telehealth and they will not send my prescriptions to these pharmacies you have listed. I’m paying way too much but do t know how to change providers to get these prices. Can you please help?
Thank you!!!
I pay more for progesterone through my insurance! Ugh.
Getting a prescription for testosterone is my next hurdle.
Amy, thanks so much for this post! I wish I knew all of this a year ago when I started my MHT journey! I do find the compounded testosterone cream to be a God-send compared to working with Testim tubes and trying to make that little tube last for 10 days. I could never get it right. I love your content. It's been so helpful to me. I just got back from attending the annual ISSWSH conference (International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health) and there were multiple presentations concerning using testosterone vaginally (specifically 0.1% testosterone + 0.3% estradiol compounded in a methylcellulose base). I did not know this but apparently there are many testosterone receptors inside the vagina, on the clitoris and particularly around the vestibule. Per the presenter, not only is it helpful for menopausal women but it can be given to lactating women and also younger women experiencing loss of libido and painful intercourse due to testosterone reduction because of contraception such as progesterone IUDs. It seems to be more effective than estradiol alone and also more effective than Intrarosa DHEA suppositories --- And you only need to use 1 g - 2x weekly rather than daily. I have used Intrarosa but I find it unpleasantly greasy and mildly irritating. I'm eager to try this other solution. According to Dr. Irwin Goldstein it improves arousal and amplifies orgasm in menopausal women - which is my particular struggle. Have you come across this in your practice? Anyway, thank you again for your work. It is improving my quality of life!
Um, potential "irritants and allergens". I'd absolutely enjoy the cost savings, but I'm unsure about the impurities. Can you expound on that? I'm on a brain health protocol and work really hard to stay clean.
Is there a role for cardiac calcium scan in determining post menopausal vascular disease as a guidelines for estrogen prescription in a population of women 10 years post menopause or over age 60?
Sigh, I tried to get the testosterone from GoodRX and was disappointed. The cheapest was Walgreens at $39.91, so I had my doctor send it in specifically to match. Walgreens told me that it was $140 and that they don't have the drug that the coupon specifies. Better than the $400 regular price. Debating whether to take it. I'd try again, but I have a feeling this is a bait and switch kind of thing.
Ive been sending my patients to check out cost plus and I always tell them to check prices with good rx, which sometimes is cheaper than with insurance.
Thank you Amy! This is super helpful information.
Really pragmatic post, and I appreciate the core message: “affordable” doesn’t have to mean “sketchy.” Making evidence-based hormone therapy accessible through standard prescribers + standard pharmacies (and transparent cash pricing tools) is a big win for patients who are otherwise pushed toward opaque, high-markup pathways. 
The key, as you’re implicitly emphasizing, is that “cheap” should never mean unsupervised:
1. Right indication + right route: systemic vs vaginal/local estrogen are different tools, and route matters for risk/benefit in different patients (e.g., oral vs transdermal considerations).
2. Endometrial protection: anyone with a uterus needs appropriate progesterone strategy alongside systemic estrogen.
3. Testosterone in women: dosing/monitoring nuance is real (and “men’s gel math” is only safe when a clinician is actively guiding it, with clear targets and side-effect surveillance).
4. Follow-up is the therapy: symptom response + vitals + appropriate labs and adverse-effect checks are what keep “optimization” from drifting into “experiment.”
Net: lowering the cost barrier is necessary, but pairing it with good clinical guardrails is what makes it actually equitable. This is the kind of nuts-and-bolts transparency patients are hungry for.
Thank you so much
Can you recommend anyone in Hawaii who can prescribe these with any real knowledge of Hormones
Thanks for the great writeup and sharing all these resouces! One more to add: you can also get your hormones tested for "cheap" at app.hellogoodlabs.com :)
Who can prescribe it?