Hormone Therapy for Yorktown Heights, NY

Two treatments, one careful method

Hormone replacement therapy at Bellava is for men and for women. Men with low testosterone are usually offered testosterone replacement therapy, known as TRT. Women receive estrogen and progesterone, whether they are in perimenopause, in menopause or in the years beyond it. Whichever applies to you, the method stays the same: blood work before any prescription, a plan overseen by a physician, and retesting afterwards to see whether it is doing its job.

Symptoms that get blamed on something else

Falling hormones rarely announce themselves. Testosterone drops slowly, so a man can spend years putting the tiredness, the short temper or the shrinking muscle down to work and age. A woman in perimenopause may take the broken nights, the foggy afternoons and the mood swings for ordinary stress. Signs worth a blood test include:

• In women: hot flashes and night sweats, poor sleep, fatigue that rest does not touch, anxiety or irritability, weight gathering at the waist, a lower sex drive.
• In men: little stamina, afternoon slumps, muscle fading despite exercise, a short fuse, low libido or reduced sexual performance, difficulty focusing.

The lab results lead

Hormone levels are measured first and read beside your symptoms, because two people with the same result do not always need the same treatment. The aim is not the highest number a laboratory can report. It is a normal, functional range in which you feel like yourself again. Treatment comes either as injections, which allow precise and adjustable dosing, or as creams and gels applied to the skin each day. Follow-up labs guide every change of dose, and if hormone therapy proves wrong for you, you will be told.

Seen in person

Your care happens in a real office, not through an app or a mailed protocol. The history is taken face to face in Bedford Hills, and the plan is overseen by Bellava’s medical director, Donna D’Alessio, MD, board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, who served as chief resident in her final year of residency at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. From Yorktown Heights the office is about 18 minutes away without traffic, by Routes 202 and 35 and a short leg on the Saw Mill River Parkway, which keeps follow-up visits easy to fit in.

Yorktown Heights patients ask

How soon might I notice a difference? Energy, mood and sleep often shift within a few weeks. Libido, body composition and mental clarity usually take two to three months, as levels settle into a stable range.

Could I be told it is not for me? Yes. A personal or family history of hormone-sensitive cancer, blood clots or certain heart and blood-vessel conditions may rule HRT out.

What might I feel in the first weeks? Possible effects include bloating, breast tenderness or mood swings while estrogen settles, acne or other skin changes, mild fluid retention, and soreness where an injection was given. They tend to be temporary, while your body adjusts.

What about cost and insurance? The full cost of your plan is explained at the consultation before anything starts. Coverage differs a great deal between plans, so check with yours. Financing is available.

How do I start? Use Book Now to reserve a consultation online; the main hormone therapy page has more detail.