By WINONA bioidentical Estrogen/Progesterone Cream
As you begin to research Hormone Replacement Therapy as a telehealth option, if you are like me two things come to mind, price and quality of products/care. Winona Hormone Replacement Therapy products are FDA-approved.
One of the things that I really admire about WINOA is their transparency on their pricing. They list every product they offer and the cost of each on their website. No guessing on what you're likely to spend. They also don't require any monthly plan above and beyond cost of HRT products!
See my full WINONA YouTube Review of Bioidentical Products Here:
WINONA HRT Costs:
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DHEA Pills - $27/3 Mos
Estrogen Body Cream - $89/Mo
Estrogen w/Progesterone - $89/Mo
Estrogen Patch - $149/Mo
Estrogen Tablet - $45/Mo
Progesterone Body Cream - $89/Mo
Progesterone Caplet - $39/Mo
Vaginal Estrogen Cream - $89/Mo
Blossom (female Viagra cream) - $79/Order
My HRT doc prescribed the Estrogen/Progesterone cream and DHEA pills. My first order for a 3-month supply was $225 or $75/month. I view this as an investment in my future health and was glad to pony-up my HSA card for payment once my prescriptions were prescribed for me.
Start Winona and get 15% off your first order - click here
Does WINONA take Insurance?
As with many of the companies who offer Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapies in specialized doses, private insurance is not accepted by WINONA. It's important to note, that almost all insurance companies do not cover the costs of bioidenticals in customized doses. So, if you and your HRT doctor decide that a customized dose of bioidentical HRT is the way to go, you'll likely have to pay out of pocket for them.
The good news, however, is that WINONA does accept HSA credit cards so that's how I got started on my Winona HRT.
No Pre-Testing
Winona has an in-take form they require that captures all your medical history and symptoms, but unlike many of the other companies I considered, they don't require any up-front blood tests. The fact that pre-testing isn't required cuts down on the overall cost and time it takes to get started compared to other providers.
What they use as a measurement of whether the meds and dosage is correct or right for you is based solely on your symptoms and how you feel, or more over, whether the negative symptoms are gone as a result of the WINONA Bioidentical Hormone Therapy prescribed. This is referred to as Evidence based medicine and is a common for HRT.
If you are looking for a provider, who can see you in a few days from when you reach out and you don't like giving blood for testing or don't want the added costs of testing, then Winona may be just the right fit for you.
WINONA for Perimenopause and Menopause
They have continued to reach out about every two-weeks via email to check in on me or to send general information as it pertains to Bioidentical Hormone Replacement therapy.
WINONA Telehealth - How it Works
1. Complete In-Take Form
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2. Receive Link to Winona's patient portal to sign up - provide payment information
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3. Winona will reach out via their patient portal with recommended treatment products and costs
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4. Confirm or Deny Purchase(s)
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5. Shipped directly to your home - 5-9 days
They offer bioidentical hormone replacement therapy in creams, patches, pills and caplets.
Winona Treatment, does it work?
You may ask, so is it working and how do you feel? Well, remember my biggest goal was to find any online provider who could help me switch to an estrogen/progesterone cream in lieu of a troche/pill. The recommendation they made to me was indeed a cream that contained both estrogen and progesterone and the DHEA tablets.
In honesty, I feel pretty much the same, which to me is a WIN. My goal was to switch formulations from the troche pill to a cream and still maintain my sleep, energy and mood and for it to not to cost me a small fortune. So for me, mission accomplished!
My Personal Bioidentical HRT Weight Loss Story
In the late fall of 2019, I was a miserable 52-year-old woman. I weighed more than ever in my life. My sleep was terrible, I was waking up with night-sweats and drenched PJ's. I was also starting to have hot flashes. I felt ugly, over-weight and stuck.
I was connected to a friend of my sisters from our high school. She had mentioned on Facebook that she had lost a bunch of weight and looked genuinely happy in her pictures. I reached out to her and learned that she had a "diet" doctor who had prescribed her a pill that she broke in half and took morning and evening. All I heard is that she had lost weight and seemed happy and frankly I would have pretty much done anything to be in her shoes. She gave me the name of her doc and I called immediately. I reached out in September, once I had gotten a referral from my primary care doc and was told the first available appointment was December 1st. He was a very busy and popular guy, apparently!
At my initial consultation, he talked about nutrition and ladies' hormones. The first order of business was to meet with a nutritionist and then get bloodwork. Upon receipt of the bloodwork at my 2nd appointment he prescribed a bioidentical hormone from a compounding pharmacy in Colorado. He said I'd have to pay for it out of pocket, but the good news is that it would be sent directly to my home. I agreed.
It arrived about 7-10 days later and within a week, the night-sweats had stopped along with the hot-flashes. My moodiness and short temper had improved, and I felt like I was on the road to recovery. The improvement in my symptoms was enough to keep me motivated to stay on course with the diet and intermittent fasting I had started.
I went on to lose 26 pounds over six months and have kept that off to this day.
WINONA Bioidentical Hormones
In January 2024, I decided that I wanted to try something different. I had been on bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, specifically; troches since 2019. Troches are small pills that are placed under your tongue and absorbed by oral mucosa and gradually absorb into the blood stream. Initially, I had though they didn't have to pass through the liver, but later learned they likely do. I wanted to switch to a bioidentical that didn't require my liver to be so involved. I've had a few too many cocktails over the years and knew my liver needed all the relief it could get.
WINONA Hormone Replacement Therapy
Here is their slogan on the website:
At Winona, it’s our goal to take the confusion out of menopause and help women get the solutions they need. We are a telehealth company that aims to empower, educate, and treat women throughout the entirety of their menopause journey. We offer doctor-prescribed, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy that is backed by science and shipped directly to your door.Â
The company promotes that they are good for, menopause, hormone replacement therapy, vaginal dryness, regenerative care, testosterone for women, weight maintenance, preventative care, hot flashes, mood, anxiety and depression.
They are licensed to practice in 33 states. Check out the link here to confirm if your state is one of the 33.
