Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy by Joe Edwards MD

03/08/2026

Any woman with abnormal uterine bleeding should have a pelvic ultrasound to evaluate their uterine lining. The thickness of the endometrial stripe (the uterine lining) can vary depending on one’s age. If post menopausal, the cutoff is 4 millimeters, which is fairly thin. The thicker the stripe, the greater one’s chance of uterine cancer. If you are post menopausal with bleeding and the stripe is above 10mm, you have an increased risk of cancer. An endometrial biopsy in the office is not good enough. The best test is a hysteroscopy, which is much more thorough evaluation of the uterine lining. The final pathology would then determine your next step. I tend to be aggressive with surgery once a woman reaches menopause because surgery will eliminate three of the top six cancers women can develop. As expected, some do not agree with my approach but I sleep better knowing that my patients have been proactive in their gynecological care. It is up to the individual to decide what is best for her.

Strictly Come Dancing star Alex Kingston has opened up about her battle with uterine cancer and revealed how she ultimately received her diagnosis. HELLO! spoke to a leading oncologist to understand what symptoms women should look out for before it is too late

02/25/2026

A calcium scoring test looks for calcium deposits in the coronary arteries and creates a score that gives you an idea of the amount of plaque that is present. The higher the number, the higher the risk. 25% of all heart attacks result in death. This test, although not perfect can save your life like it did for one of my male patients last year. A CTA of the heart (more expensive) will give you an idea about the patency (openness) of your coronary vessels. You need to be proactive, not reactive in your health care. Dr.Stubbs and I share the same passion and are trying to move patient’s care into the 21st century by testing biomarkers for multiple diseases and being aggressive with radiological testing.

A Thomaston man felt fine and nearly skipped a heart test. Days later, he was in surgery. He and his wife now say that simple test saved his life.

02/17/2026

Testosterone therapy is not just about s*x drive. There is so much confusion and misinformation, even amongst physicians, about what a normal testosterone level should be. For most people, men and women included, testosterone therapy improves s*x drive, increases energy, diminishes brain fog, and helps with sleep. Patients will see another physician and is then told the level is too high despite receiving testosterone therapy. Your numbers should be elevated and the dosing based on many factors: age, symptoms, blood work, weight, and your individual ability to absorb testosterone. It is up to the individual to decide what is best. GODD LUCK

Can boosting testosterone improve libido, or is much of the attention solely hype, profit, and placebo?

12/27/2025

Testosterone therapy is the missing ingredient in hormonal therapy for men and women. Testosterone increases energy, improves mood, boosts libido, reduces body fat, strengthens bone, deeper sleep, decreases brain fog, and enhances recovery from exercise. For men, there are 3 choices: creams, injections, and pellets. For women: creams, pills, injections, and pellets. I have had tremendous success with pellets and have been using them myself for over six years. I calculate the dosage based on multiple factors: weight, blood work, symptoms, and age. Absorption rates of the pellets is the one thing that is not predictable, which is the reason you need post pellet blood work done about 5 weeks after insertion. For those not ready for pellets, I use creams that can be adjusted up and down based on your results. Find someone that will listen to you and base your therapy on what works best for you.

– As a man of Science, I’m supposed to hide my enthusiasm about this somewhat controversial subject, and instead direct you only to the peer-reviewed studies.  But man, I feel like I’ve …

11/17/2025

As a second generation OBGYN with 30+ years experience, I am doing my best to educate women, as well as men, about the importance of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). If you have symptoms, like any other problem, you should be aware of your treatment options. The missing ingredient in most HRT regimens is testosterone, which helps with libido, energy, brain fog, and sleep. The treatment should be individualized based on many factors: age, symptoms, blood work, and weight. Estrogen helps with hot flashes, night sweats, and dryness. Progesterone helps minimize bleeding and sleep (which helps one’s mood). Send me any questions and I’ll try to answer them for you.

Menopausal HRT has been touted as a longevity drug for women and a danger to their health. Is the government’s call to remove the black-box warning a good idea?

11/08/2025

As an OBGYN, I deal with hormonal imbalance concerns every day. The amount of misinformation and companies trying to make money on women seems endless. Saliva tests are not accurate. Women who are not on any type of contraceptive have a natural fluctuation of their hormones: estrogen dominates the first half and progesterone the second half. It matters what day in your cycle that your blood work is drawn.

Birth control is prescribed to treat a range of hormonal issues. But women in their 20s and 30s are increasingly pursuing alternative solutions, taking a D.I.Y. approach to health.

10/31/2025

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective treatment for the symptoms of menopause, but many women are afraid because of their concerns regarding the presumed increased risk of breast cancer. The flawed WHI study many years ago has continued to confuse patients and health care providers. I do not believe that HRT increases the risk of breast cancer and has many benefits. Estrogen helps with hot flashes, night sweats, and dryness. Progesterone helps with sleep and decreases one’s chance of uterine cancer; if you still have your uterus. Testosterone is the missing ingredient and helps with libido, fatigue, sleep, and brain fog. It is up to the individual to decide what is best for her.

Here’s what you should really know about new research on decreased risk of cancer and stroke for those taking estrogen during perimenopause.

10/31/2025

Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour, who shared her ovarian cancer diagnosis in 2021, revealed she's battling the disease again in a new interview.

07/28/2025

The Women’s health initiative set back hormonal health many years ago by frightening women about hormone replacement therapy (HRT). These thoughts are still with health care providers today. The study was a total disaster and failed to take into account many factors. The hormones were Premarin (pregnant horse urine) and MPA: both were not bio-identical. There were a large number of smokers and the average age was 13 years after menopause began. There were 3 parts to the study: the Premarin alone patients saw a DECREASE in breast cancer, which was never mentioned. Most experts (including me) agree that starting HRT around menopause lowers your risk of heart attacks and strokes. The missing ingredient is testosterone, which helps with libido, energy, brain fog, and sleep. It is up to the patient to decide what is best given your issues.

Dr. Marty Makary, the agency’s commissioner, said too many women avoid hormone therapy because the risks have been overstated.

07/11/2025

My sweet patient celebrated her 70th birthday this week and had been looking for someone to help her with her menopausal symptoms. I obtained the appropriate labs. As expected, she had zero hormones and had tried other remedies without success. I offered her hormonal pellets and she has now received...

06/28/2025

Most women get tired of having their monthly visitor and are ecstatic when they finally stop having their menstrual cycle (through surgery or menopause). Men would not tolerate monthly bleeding and pain. The fluctuation in hormones occurs because estrogen dominants the first half of the normal menstrual cycle with progesterone dominating the second half: an important reason for timing of blood work. The varying levels of hormones is misunderstood by patients, as well as physicians. The more ovulatory events one has, the greater the risk of ovarian cancer. (a potential problem for extending ovarian function). When your hormones are checked, a FSH and an estrogen level are drawn. If you are on oral contraceptives, those levels will give you a false reading for menopause. Everyone talks about how terrible estrogen therapy is, but it is the estrogen that decreases the risk of heart attacks in women who are premenopausal. After menopause, the rate of heart attacks matches men.

New efforts to boost women’s health and extend fertility depend on developing tools to slow the aging of ovaries.

06/28/2025

The wives of Robert Kraft and Leonard Lauder died of ovarian cancer. When my wife turned 50, I had her ovaries removed because I did not want her to be the 1 in 70 women who develops ovarian cancer. The studies mentioned in this article have too many confounding variables (different factors) to have any meaningful conclusion. The lack of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) knowledge makes these issues confusing for women. HRT can relieve hot flashes, night sweats, dryness, libido, brain fog, insomnia, fatigue, osteoporosis, muscle weakness etc. the missing ingredient is testosterone. My rule of thumb for ovarian removal: 50 remove. One’s history, physical exam, blood work, symptoms, and expectations should allow for individualized care. If you are not happy or satisfied with your care, as well as my patients, you should seek a second opinion. I sleep better at night knowing that my wife of 37+ years no longer has her ovaries

Removing ovaries with a hysterectomy might increase risk of heart disease, stroke and dementia