Hormone Therapy for North Salem, NY

Men and women, the same starting point

Bellava offers hormone replacement therapy to men and to women. A man whose testosterone has dropped is treated with testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT. A woman in perimenopause, menopause or the years after is treated with estrogen and progesterone. The hormones differ; the starting point does not. For both, nothing is prescribed until your levels have been measured.

What a blood test settles, and what it does not

• It shows whether your levels are actually low. TRT is considered only once testing confirms low testosterone, and the same rule of measuring first applies to women.
• It sets the target. The aim is your normal, functional range, worked out from your own results and your history, and never the highest number a lab can print.
• It does not decide on its own. Results are read beside what you describe, because two people with an identical value do not always need identical treatment.
• It steers every later change. Follow-up labs are how a dose is adjusted, on evidence rather than on a hunch.
• It is part of the safety check. A personal or family history of hormone-sensitive cancers, blood clots or certain heart and blood-vessel conditions may rule HRT out, which is what the history and labs together are for. If it is not right for you, you are told.

What sends people for that first test

Women describe hot flashes, night sweats and nights that never feel restful, fatigue and fog that rest does not lift, anxiety or irritability, weight gathering at the middle and a lower libido. Men talk about stamina that fades by the afternoon, muscle going despite training, a shorter temper, poor concentration and a drop in sex drive or performance. Any of these can have another cause, which is precisely why they are measured rather than assumed.

Form, timing and oversight

Hormones are prescribed as injections, for precise, adjustable dosing, or as creams and gels applied to the skin each day, chosen to suit your routine. Energy, mood and sleep often start to change within a few weeks, while libido, body composition and clarity of thought usually take two to three months. Early on, bloating, breast tenderness, mood swings, some acne, mild fluid retention or soreness at an injection site can appear and generally pass as the dose is tuned.

Every plan is overseen by Bellava’s medical director, Donna D’Alessio, MD, board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and you are seen in person at 182 Route 117 Bypass Road in Bedford Hills. From Croton Falls, joining I-684 at Hardscrabble Road, that is about 13 minutes without traffic; from the town’s centre on Titicus Road, about 19.

North Salem patients ask

What will it cost? That depends on which hormones you need, the form, the dose and how often you are seen. The full cost is explained at the consultation before anything starts, and financing is available.

Does insurance cover it? Plans differ widely, so check with your insurer; the team can tell you what to expect out of pocket.

Is it for life? Not necessarily. Some patients use it through one phase, such as menopause, and then taper off; others continue. The plan is reviewed regularly, and the decision is yours.

How do I start? Book a consultation online with Book Now, or read the main hormone therapy page first.